Bend It Like Becker
by phoebenpiper
Summary: The minister decides to put the ARC's teamwork skills to the test. Post-Series 5. Jess/Becker romantic comedy with all the other characters tossed in. FINISHED!  Final 2 chapters posted.
1. Ch 1 MATCH MAKER

Bend It Like Becker

a Primeval fanfic by phoebenpiper

...

Chapter 1 - MATCH MAKER

...

As the team finished filing into his office, Lester gestured for the door to be closed, which Becker took as a bad sign.

"I'm afraid I've got some bad news."

Becker frowned, wondering what it could be. He'd heard rumours that an ARC-wide dress code might be instituted, and he hoped that wasn't the case. Not that he wasn't for uniformity - after all, he'd been the one to stand firm against Matt about keeping the soldiers in all black - but he was certain a dress code for the rest of the staff would be disastrous. No doubt Jess's short skirts would be the first casualty of such a policy, and Becker really didn't want to see them go.

Especially not today's bright yellow dress, which he was having a hard time peeling his eyes away from.

Connor, however, had different things on his mind. "Don't tell us it's the end of the world again," he joked. "'Cuz, you know, we've been there; done that."

Lester rolled his eyes before continuing, "Unfortunately it's far more serious than that."

"Whatever it is, we'll deal with it," Matt stated matter-of-factly, though Becker sensed he sounded more certain than he felt.

"The Minister, in his infinite wisdom, has decided that the ARC team as a whole needs to work on its camaraderie."

"Are you kidding?" Jess said, clearly indignant at the implication. "Has the Minister never seen our team in the field? We work seamlessly together. Why, I'd challenge any other unit to demonstrate as much teamwork as we do on a daily basis."

Lester nodded gravely. "And I'm afraid that's precisely what the Minister's done."

Everyone stared blankly at Lester, confused by his statement.

"Pardon?" Emily asked, clearly hoping, as they all were, for some clarification.

Lester returned to pacing behind his desk, his hands clasped behind his back. "The Minister, it seems, has challenged the RSID to play us in a football match."

The room was momentarily filled with a stunned silence before Abby's laugh broke through.

"That's what's got you all worried, Lester? Some grudge match?"

Lester stopped and turned towards them with an accusing stare. "Do any of you actually PLAY football?"

Becker glanced around the room to find that all his coworkers were, like him, shaking their heads.

"I thought not," Lester stated. "And thus the problem."

Matt, however, still seemed a bit confused. "But I don't understand what the big deal is. It's just a friendly game of footy, right?"

"Wrong!" Lester said, slamming his palms down on his desk and causing Jess to emit a gasp of surprise. "This is much bigger than that."

Becker nodded. "It's our very reputation on the line."

"Precisely," Lester said, giving Becker a grateful nod. "Which is why I'm appointing you coach."

Becker pushed himself off of the bulkhead he'd been leaning against to stand straight. "Me? Why me?"

"Just look as us," Lester said, gesturing to the motley crew assembled in the office. "Can you think of someone better?"

Becker's eyes instantly alighted on Abby, but she was shooting him such daggers that he stopped with her name still on his lips.

Jess, however, was too busy noting something else. "'Us'?" she repeated, staring meaningfully at Lester. "Does that mean...?"

Lester gave a frustrated sigh. "Yes, the Minister has insisted that I play as well." He shook his head, grumbling under his breath, "Bloody sadist! Obviously he's still mad about the stegosaurus."

Becker shook his head - it looked like he had some hard work ahead of him.

...

"Becker!"

The soldier paused in the hallway long enough for Jess to catch up with him.

"I...uh...just wanted to offer you my services," she blurted out eagerly. "You know, as your assistant."

Becker raised a confused eyebrow. "Assistant?"

"For the football coaching thing. Now, it's true that I've never actually coached anything before, but I'm an excellent field coordinator, and I imagine those same skills will transfer to the football field...or pitch...or whatever it's called."

But Becker looked doubtful. "Do you even know anything about football?"

"No, but neither do you. And you know what they say - the blind leading the blind are better than...one...or something..." She trailed off, realising that sounded wrong, even to her own ears.

Becker's eyebrow went up again. "Jess, if you're offering to help just so you don't have to play, I'm afraid it's not going to work."

Jess's mouth dropped open in surprise. That had never even occurred to her.

What HAD occurred to her was that being Becker's assistant would require spending lots of time with him outside of work! But obviously she couldn't tell him that. So she blurted out her other motivation for volunteering, the thing that had been on her mind all morning long.

"WE HAVE TO WIN!"

Her emphatic statement was louder than either of them had expected, and the words reverberated down the empty hallway. Embarrassed, Jess could feel her face growing warm as Becker gave her an amused look.

"A bit competitive, I see," he teased.

"So?" Jess said defensively. She knew her competitive spirit was a virtue, not a vice, and she wasn't about to let him torture her about it. "I wasn't Head Girl for nothing, you know. I scratched and pinched and pulled hair to get to that position because being the best was important. IS important. And this football match is important, too - like you said, it's our very reputation on the line. And I want you to know that I'm willing to do whatever it takes for us to win."

She couldn't tell from Becker's expression if he was impressed or merely terrified.

"You know," he began with a smirk, "I don't think pulling hair is allowed during the match."

Jess rolled her eyes. "You know what I mean. I'm willing to work hard to get the job done. It's going to be tough, but we can do it if we're willing to put our minds to it. So I was thinking - perhaps I could come over to your flat tonight and we could start doing some research. You know, figure out the rules and maybe find some drills we can run at practice to help work on our skills and such. Oh, and we'll need to find a place to practice - I can make some phone calls this afternoon and then...we...can..."

Jess trailed off self-consciously as she noticed Becker staring at her. She suddenly realised how forward she was being, blithely inviting herself over to his home before he'd even agreed to let her assist. Feeling flustered, she stammered, "I just...never mind...it was a stupid..."

She turned to leave, but he reached out and grabbed her hand before she could get far.

"Jess, you're right. Clearly I need someone like to you help sort everything out. Hell, it hadn't even occurred to me that we'd need a place to practice-"

"And we'll need balls, too," Jess jumped in, mentally considering where they might be able to get some equipment.

"Looks like you've already taken care of that."

Jess blushed. "So does that mean...?"

Becker nodded. "Yeah, you can come over. We'll order in some Chinese. And hopefully, between the two of us, we can figure out a way to not make total fools of ourselves in front of the RSID."

...

To Be Continued


	2. Ch 2 RESEARCH REQUIRED

Bend It Like Becker

Chapter 2 - RESEARCH REQUIRED

...

Becker thought he heard a noise coming from his front door, though it didn't sound like a knock, more like someone softly kicking it. He cautiously approached the door and peered out, not quite sure what to expect.

He certainly wasn't expecting to be greeted by a giant stack of DVDs and books, blocking what he could only assume was a certain over-achieving field coordinator.

"I stopped by the library on my way here," Jess's voice sounded from behind the stack as he opened the door, confirming her presence.

"So I see," Becker said, amused, as he lifted off the top half of the stack to reveal Jess's cheery smile. "C'mon in."

He led her into the living room and set down his own stack before realising that Jess hadn't followed. He hurried back to where she was awkwardly attempting to close the door with her foot and quickly shut it for her. He then followed her into the flat and, as she leant over to set down her stack on the low coffee table, involuntarily gasped, but my some miracle her incredibly short skirt revealed nothing it shouldn't, somewhat to Becker's disappointment.

Unfortunately she'd heard him gasp, and she turned around, an inquisitive look on her face. He dodged her query by stating, "The food's not here yet. Can I get you something to drink?"

Jess shook her head as she plopped down onto the couch. "I can wait." She gestured to the stacks in front of her, explaining, "I thought these could get us started."

"Started?" Becker teased. After all, with the amount of research materials she'd brought, he imagined they could plan their team all the way through World Cup.

Jess, however, didn't seem to catch his sarcasm for she continued seriously, "Most of these just cover the basics - rules and simple skills and such. But I figure if we can get these under out belts, we can always check out some more advanced media." She started arranging the stacks into more organised piles as she continued, "I actually got some kids books because they had photos, which I thought would be more helpful than just vague descriptions. Same with the DVDs."

Becker grabbed up one of the DVDs she was sorting, smirking. "_Bend It Like Beckham_?" he teased.

"There's lots of football practice montages and stuff," Jess insisted, blushing. "I thought they might be useful."

"Uh-huh." Becker was well aware from Abby that Jess was a sucker for romantic comedies and imagined this fact had influenced her film choice more than any coaching usefulness it might have.

"Oh, and I rung a bunch of places this afternoon," she continued. "Tomorrow at lunch I'm picking up the balls. I rented fifteen - I figured that would give us one for everyone plus some extras, just in case a few get away from us when we're kicking them about. And the fields are all taken care of. Since the match isn't for a fortnight, I figured we could spend the first week concentrating on skills and then put those together for more game-like practices next week. So with that in mind, starting tomorrow we have..."

As Jess eagerly explained her coordinating efforts thus far, Becker listened with rapt attention. Or, to be more accurate, he viewed with rapt attention. Whilst it's true he did hear her words, and they were in English so he understood their meaning, he wasn't really absorbing anything she was saying because he was too distracted by her frock. It was bright yellow, which was an attention-grabbing colour to begin with, but more importantly, it fit her like a glove. The waist was perfectly snug, which only emphasised her curves above and below.

But what was really holding his attention was the fact that he was now firmly convinced her short skirt had magical properties. No matter what her position or how she moved, it always seemed to cover just enough to keep from being scandalous. As such, Becker couldn't seem to tear his eyes away from it, though he wasn't sure whether it was due to his intrigue over the illusion...or his hope that it might somehow fail.

"...hope you don't mind," Jess was saying. The concern evident in both her tone and her look snapped Becker out of his trance as she added, "I didn't mean to step on your toes - I just thought it'd be easier for me to go ahead and take care of-"

"Of course, Jess," Becker quickly jumped in. He felt guilty, for clearly she'd misinterpreted his silence to mean he was upset with her when, in fact, that was the furthest thing from the truth. She never failed to amaze him - her magical skirt not withstanding - because she was so prepared for things that never even occurred to him. But instead of appreciating her for her amazing field coordinator skills, here he was being a first-class lout, lusting after her short skirt.

And not only was she his coworker, she was now his assistant coach as well, which meant that such thoughts were even more inappropriate. So he just needed to concentrate on the football and the monumental task they had ahead of them...and not let his eyes be drawn to where her yellow skirt met her lusciously long legs.

He shook his head and sighed. He opened his mouth to tell Jess how much he appreciated all her planning but was interrupted by a knock on the door.

"The food!" Jess said, popping up from the couch and hurrying to the door.

Stupid magical skirt! Becker thought as he followed her.

...

The first thing that Jess sensed as consciousness started to return was the loud chorus of "Hot Hot Hot", though the lyrics seemed somehow off. As her eyes fluttered open, they came to focus on the bright telly in the dark room, where the credits to the film were now playing. Ah yes - _Bend It Like Beckham_. No wonder the lyrics didn't sound English!

She still couldn't believe that she'd convinced Becker to watch it. After all, it had been nearly midnight, and they'd already mapped out a strategy for the first few days of practice, so clearly her insistence that they could pick up some tips from the film was rubbish. Yet he'd given in with very little pleading on her part.

Of course, his first comments after putting it on were how young Keira and Parminder were, so perhaps he was watching it for different reasons! And, to be honest, that was about the last thing she remembered before hearing the song. Obviously the stress of the day, not to mention the excitement of all the planning, must've finally caught up with her, and the instant she'd let her guard down, she'd dozed off.

It was only now that she began to notice the warmth against her skin, though it took several moments for her to recognise it for what it was, and then only a split second for her to realise what it meant. The room had long since grown cold, and in her sleep she must've nestled against Becker's chest, trying to get warm.

That, in itself, wasn't so embarrassing, though she imagined he'd still have found plenty to tease her about. But it was much worse. She'd tucked her legs up under her when she'd sat, but in her sleep her knees had grown a mind of their own. Clearly cold, they, too, had sought out the nearest warmth, which in this case happened to be Becker's lap!

All this occurred to Jess in an instant, and her immediate reaction was to sit up straight, pull her legs down, and straighten her skirt, which she imagined must look unseemly!

Yet before she could do as her instincts demanded, her sense of hearing caused her to pause. Although the loud Hindi song was still playing on the telly, Jess could hear something underneath it, something low and steady.

Becker was asleep! That explained why he wasn't giving her the eye and mocking her. And his arm, which was tucked snugly around her shoulders, had no doubt been on its own heat-seeking mission.

And if she'd instantly sat up straight, she would've awakened him with a jolt.

Instead, Jess now slowly and carefully removed her knees from his lap, being careful not to jostle him. She straightened out her legs and wiggled her toes, trying to get some feeling back in them, having been asleep themselves for some time. And then she remained still.

She couldn't believe her luck. For the moment, not wanting to wake him, all she could do was sit here, his arm holding her tightly against his side. But, even better, once he awoke, she'd be able to tease him about falling asleep.

Or could she? What if she'd fallen asleep first, under his watchful eye? Perhaps he'd only nodded off during the final scene at the airport. (Yes, Jess had the movie practically memorised - how could she not, with cutie Jonathan Rhys Meyers in it - though she'd never actually paid attention to the footy before!) If he had watched her fall asleep, any teasing she might do now could and WOULD be repaid in kind, and he always gave her enough grief as it was.

No, she would simply have to forego the teasing. In the meantime, she could simply bask in his warmth.

Sadly, the moment, as well as the movie, had to come to an end eventually. As the credits finished scrolling, a brief silence descended over the room, and a sudden jolt beneath her let her know he'd just awoken.

"Good morning, sleepyhead," she said, turning and smiling up at Becker.

"What time is it?" he asked through a yawn. He pulled his arm up so as to read his watch, and a cold draught suddenly fell on Jess's shoulders. She involuntarily shivered, and he gave her a concerned look.

"Well...I should probably be going," Jess said, quickly standing up and starting to search for her shoes in the dark.

Becker switched off the telly, which had returned to the DVD's opening menu, sending the room into momentary darkness. She heard him grumble something unintelligible before he managed to switch on the lamp next to the couch.

Having found her shoes, she sat back down next to him to put them on and noticed he was staring at her.

"What?"

He didn't answer. Instead, he simply cocked an eyebrow, his mouth forming a smirk.

"What?" she repeated, starting to feel nervous.

She could never stand up to such intense interrogation.

"Okay, yes, I fell asleep, too," she admitted. "But I'm sure you already knew that."

Becker shook his head. "I only guessed...since you weren't taking the piss out of me for falling asleep."

Dammit, Jess thought. She should've realised that!

Oh well, she'd remember that for next time.

If there ever WAS a next time.

As she started to gather the stacks of DVDs and books, Becker stood up and grabbed up half the stack.

"What are you doing?" she asked.

"Walking you to your car."

"Becker, there's no need-"

"Jess, it's nearly two. I'm walking you to your car," he stated firmly to ensure no further arguments.

She nodded, knowing he'd won.

"You do realise," she began, turning and smiling at him as she reached the door, "I'm going to make you watch the rest of the film later."

Becker rolled his eyes, and she knew she'd at least won this round.

...

to be continued


	3. Ch 3 WARDROBE WORRIES

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 3 - WARDROBE WORRIES

...

The next morning Becker paused as he started to pass by Lester's office. It wasn't to take in Jess's latest frock, although its purple and lime paisley design was rather eye-catching. Instead, he paused because he could see that Jess & Lester were in the midst of a heated argument. He sighed - obviously the dress code policy was being put through after all, and her current ensemble would be the first casualty, even though this frock was at least a few centimeters longer than yesterday's "magical" skirt.

But as he watched through the plate glass window, he saw that Lester was starting to back down. Jess, however, pressed on aggressively, pointing sternly at the phone. Finally Lester threw his hands up in defeat, and Becker couldn't help but smile, confident that Jess's legs would continue to be on display every day.

Yet Jess hadn't yet budged. She was still standing there, her hands upon her hips, tapping her foot impatiently, something Becker found an amazing feat in those high heels. At last Lester rolled his eyes and picked up the receiver. Jess waited until the call was complete before she turned and exited his office, saving her satisfied grin till she was safely outside.

Becker immediately caught up with her as she strode towards the hub. "So what was that about?"

"What? Lester?" She shrugged, rolling her eyes. "Wardrobe choices."

Becker nodded - he'd guessed right.

"But it's okay," Jess continued. "His wife is bringing by his kit this afternoon, though I still don't know what he's going to do about shoes - can you believe he doesn't even own a pair of trainers?"

"Wait - what?" Becker was completely lost - she didn't seem to be discussing the dress code after all.

"Lester was planning to practice in his suit this afternoon - can you imagine?" Jess gave a frustrated sigh as she shook her head and mumbled, "I simply don't know what to do with him sometimes."

But Becker was too busy imagining Lester, dressed in his pin-striped suit and fancy Italian shoes, standing in the midst of a green lawn with a football rolling his way. Last night, when he and Jess had made plans for the practice today, Becker hadn't really thought about who would actually be doing those activities, and it suddenly occurred to him what an uphill battle they were about to face.

"At least the others are excited," Jess went on as she hopped up into her chair.

Becker raised a skeptical eyebrow, and she instantly modified her statement. "Well, at least Abby is - she's looking forward to getting more exercise. And I heard her giving Connor a pep talk this morning, promising him he needn't worry about being picked last because he's already on the team. Of course, Emily's always keen to learn new things. And Matt, I imagine, can't wait to finally get to follow your lead."

Jess couldn't even keep a straight face long enough for Becker to properly glare at her. He hated that Jess knew his one weak spot.

Well, ONE of his weak spots anyway. Clearly she wasn't aware just how distracting he found her legs or else she'd never wear such short skirts every day. Although he was slightly disappointed with how long this one seemed.

"So who'd you get for the others?" Jess was asking.

Becker really needed to stop focussing on her skirts and pay more attention when she was talking. He gave her a questioning look, and she prompted, "Other players? For the team? We need at least eleven, you know."

Becker nodded. The first thing he'd done after leaving Lester's office yesterday morning was go talk to his soldiers to find out who would be willing to play. Only one had actually played footy on a team before, outside of schoolyard scrimmages that is, but Becker had been able to recruit (or, more accurately, bribe) several other athletes who would hopefully counterbalance Lester and Connor.

"I got Duggan, Ghani, Scott, and O'Rourke. Can you believe it - out of all my men, Ghani's the only one who's played proper football and she's-"

"What, a girl?" Jess finished for him, her eyes flashing with anger as she hopped off her chair to face him. "Girls can be athletes, too, you know!"

"I was GOING to say she's Hindi, like Parminder in the film last night."

"Oh." Jess's face had turned a bright shade of red.

"Oh, but THAT's right," he couldn't help but tease. "You SLEPT through the film."

Jess rolled her eyes and walked away, making it painfully clear just how much longer this skirt really was!

...

Jess sighed as she watched the window on the monitor slowly count down the number of seconds left for the upload.

"3...2...1...0."

The window instantly closed, and Jess's fingers flew across the keyboard. Another window popped up on the screen, beginning the countdown once again.

"45...44...43..."

This was the most frustrating way possible for her to be spending the afternoon, but these upgrades needed to be done. Unfortunately, they were taking FOREVER! Each one took exactly 45 seconds, and while it was running, she couldn't do anything else on the computer. That meant she'd spent the last few hours stuck here in her chair, tapping her foot impatiently as she waited for each new window to close so she could set up the next one.

And she was more impatient than usual because she'd hoped to sneak out a few minutes early to check out the park where they'd be practicing this week. However, this was going so slowly that she'd finally asked Abby and Connor to go in her stead, to look over the place and post the signs from the car park to lead the way to the practice field.

Lester had left early as well, no doubt to fortify his strength with a touch of whiskey before practice. And after their lunchtime conversation about Lester's kit, Emily had insisted that Matt take her shopping for gym clothes and trainers (and a sports bra, at Abby's suggestion). All this meant that Jess had had to endure this insufferable boredom without her friends to help distract her, and she wondered if she'd ever survive these last 10 minutes.

Of course, after that she'd still have to change into her kit before driving over to the park. If only she could change into it now, it'd save her some precious time after work.

The newest window closed, and Jess quickly launched the next upload. As she sat back in her chair to wait once again, her eye caught on the door to the server room. It was only a few feet away, in the wall behind the hub, but it blended in so well with the surrounding decor that most ARC members probably weren't even aware of its presence. Due to security precautions, only a handful of people had access to it, including Jess. As such, it suddenly occurred to her that it would make a perfect changing room! She could just nip inside after setting up each upload and change into her practice clothes at 45-second intervals. That way, the moment the uploads were complete, she could take off for the park without delay! It was perfect!

So as soon as the current window closed and she'd launched the next, Jess hopped out of her chair and ran to the locker room. She grabbed her bag and ran back to the hub. The newest window had long-since closed, so she instantly set the next upload running and then hurried over to the server room. She absently scanned her wristband and let herself inside, upending her bag to dump its contents on the floor. She kicked off her shoes and removed her tights and then ran back to the hub barefooted. However, she'd returned too early, which meant she had to stand there for over 20 seconds before she could launch the next scan.

Determined not to waste further precious time merely standing around, Jess started counting in her head: "1-1000, 2-1000, 3-1000...," as she hurried back to the server room and let herself inside. This time she pulled her shorts on underneath her frock and then sat down on the floor to put on a sock and a shoe. Her head-count reached "44-1000", so she stood and hobbled out to the hub with only the one shoe on. She was closer, but obviously she'd been counting too fast because the counter on the screen was at "9 seconds left".

After waiting to start the next upload, she set off for the server room again, determined to count slower this time. She sat down and put on her other shoe and sock. With loads of time still left, she grabbed up the shoes and tights she'd already discarded and stuffed them into her bag, hoping to save time repacking afterwards. She also yanked off her headband and pulled her hair into a high ponytail. She then went back out and was pleased to note her improvement - the counter was only at "4 seconds left" - but was determined to get it dead-on next time!

She launched the next scan and then hurried back to the room, trying to keep her counting at a speed similar to last time. She unbuttoned her frock and started to pull it over her head, but the decorative buckle at her waist caught on her security wristband. Jess struggled to unhook it, feeling quite the fool with her frock pulled up over her head, but the buckle simply wouldn't come free. Finally she removed the wristband - after all, she wouldn't need it whilst practicing - and managed to get the frock off.

Her head-count was already to 45 as she dropped her frock on the floor and reached for her t-shirt, but it wasn't there. She picked her frock back up to check underneath it, but the shirt simply wasn't on the floor. She grabbed up her bag, frantic that her count was now up to 50, and realised her shirt was at the bottom, underneath her repacked shoes and tights. By the time she emptied out the bag and got her shirt on, she'd be well over her 45 seconds, and she was determined to be on time. Besides, it was the end of the day, and no one had been in Ops for the last half hour.

"Screw it," she said as she ran out to the hub just in time to see the window flash "0 seconds left" before closing.

"Yes!" she cheered, glad that she'd done it, despite the difficulties. She set up the next upload - the last one of the day - and then hurried back to the server room to put on her shirt and collect her kit. She absently swiped her wrist against the scanner and pushed on the door, but it didn't budge. She went to try it again, but this time she realised why it wasn't working - her security wristband was no longer on her wrist but was instead now sitting on the floor of the server room! She'd locked herself out! And now she was stuck in Ops without a shirt!

As if to add insult to injury, she suddenly heard her mobile ringing from inside the server room. Jess hoped it wasn't Abby, calling to say that the field was a disaster, but with the way things were going, Jess wouldn't be surprised.

Quickly she ran through the short list of people who had access to the server room. Unfortunately, most of them had already left, which meant she had no other choice.

She hurried back to the hub and dialed Becker's mobile number from memory.

"Becker, PLEASE tell me you haven't left the ARC yet."

"No, I just got to the car park. What's up?"

"As head of security, you have access to everything, right? Even the server room?"

"Yes," Becker said warily. "What do you need, Jess?"

Without thinking, she blurted out, "I need you to come rescue me."

The connection ended abruptly, and Jess watched as the final window on the monitor finished and closed.

"Jess!" Becker called as he ran into Ops a split second later, clearly having taken the stairs three at a time to get there as quickly as possible. "What's hap...pened...?" he trailed off absently as he caught sight of Jess.

She self-consciously crossed her arms over her bra, blushing from the sheer embarrassment of it all. "I...uh...was changing in the server room, and I was trying to beat the clock, you see, so I ran out without thinking, but my wristband was still inside because it'd gotten caught on the buckle, which is purely decorative anyway, so now I'm locked out, and hardly anyone has access to the server room, and Lester and Matt and Connor are already gone, so I didn't have anyone else to call."

As she'd been blathering, Becker had calmly walked over to the server room door and, scanning his own wristband, opened the door for her.

"Thank you SO much," she said, rushing over and holding the door open with her foot. "So I'm...uh...yeah, I'm just gonna, you know, put my shirt on now, and then I'll meet you at the field in a few, okay?" she said awkwardly as she let the door shut.

She immediately put her wristband back on before pulling her red shirt out of her bag, realising the colour would coordinate nicely with her flushed face!

...

to be continued


	4. Ch 4 HEAD OVER HEELS

Bend It Like Becker

Chapter 4 - HEAD OVER HEELS

...

"Okay, now switch to the other leg," Abby instructed, demonstrating the stretch as she bent back her right leg this time. "And...REACH."

Becker did as ordered and reached his arms forward. Being a good leader meant knowing when to delegate, so he'd asked Abby to lead the warm-up stretches. Back at lunch, when he'd approached her about it, he'd thought having her lead them would help the team see that this whole process truly needed to be a team effort. They all must work together in order to avoid looking like total fools at the match. But now he was especially thankful that he'd put Abby in charge of the warm-ups because it was giving him time to focus his thoughts.

Correction: his thoughts were already focussed at present, they just weren't focussed on football. Instead, all he could seem to focus on was Jess!

When she'd rung him and uttered those fateful words - "come rescue me" - he'd naturally assumed the worst. Perhaps a creature had escaped from the menagerie and had her cornered in Ops. Perhaps Connor had exploded something in his lab and now Jess was trapped by fire and debris. Or, worst of all, perhaps she'd been bitten by a bug and needed to be carried to medical, which was now well-stocked with epipens, thanks to him. He'd received his own burst of adrenaline upon hearing her words, and he'd rushed to Ops, not sure what he was going to find but prepared for anything.

Yet he hadn't been prepared for what he'd found. And now, no matter what he did, he couldn't get that image out of his mind!

He knew he shouldn't be thinking about Jess - his coworker, his teammate, his assistant coach, for goodness' sake - at least not like THAT. Instead he should be concentrating on how they should work together to run this practice, just as they'd discussed last night. But every time he looked over at her stretching on the grass, her high ponytail making her look even younger than she really was, all he could think of was-

"And...UP."

Abby stood, and the others reluctantly followed. After a few shoulder rolls and neck stretches, she gave Becker a questioning look, as if to ask, "How's that?" He nodded, and she returned to her place amongst the others as he offered, "Thanks, Abby."

As he took his position in front of the motley crew, he took a steeling breath, determined to be a good coach, even if that meant not looking at Jess for the next two hours.

"So...uh..."

Dammit, why did she have to be wearing red? With the others in mostly neutrals, his eye was naturally drawn to her brightly-coloured t-shirt.

He cleared his throat, trying to regain his composure, before starting again. "As I was saying, we're playing on Saturday week, which means we don't have much time to..." He trailed off as he saw Connor's hand shoot up. Sighing, he asked, "What, Temple?"

"So who are we?"

Becker merely gave him an annoyed look - no wonder Connor was always chosen last for games.

"I mean, what's our team name?" Connor clarified. "We've got to know who we're playing for."

Becker shook his head. "We don't have a name. We're just the ARC team."

"Temple's right," Ghani spoke up. "We ought to have a proper team name."

Since the female soldier was the only one who had ever been on a proper team before, Becker didn't feel like he should argue the point. "Fine. Then pick a name."

"I was thinking we should be the _Arthropleura_," Connor suggested.

Abby gave him a look. "Why would we want our mascot to be giant Carboniferous centipedes?"

"Because they're rather 'footy', of course," Connor answered jokingly, resulting in a friendly shove from his fiance.

"How about the T-Rexes?" Duggan suggested.

"Or the G-Rexes?" Ghani offered with a grin.

"I think we should be the _Coelurosauravus_," Abby said before making a face. "Or maybe _Coelurosauravuses_? _Coelurosauravae_?"

"I don't think we should pick a mascot that we can't even pluralise correctly," Matt offered drily.

"I'm confused," Emily said. "What exactly is a mascot, and why do we need one?"

In answer to her question, everyone suddenly began talking at once. Becker simply stood there, feeling completely lost. He hadn't even been in charge of the team for more than a few minutes and it had already dissolved into chaos. Why had he thought he could do this coaching thing? Looking at them all, he realised just how hopeless this entire enterprise was. If they couldn't even decide on a team name, how would they ever be able to-

"We're going to be the Woolly Mammoths."

Jess spoke with such authority as she stepped up next to Becker that everyone instantly silenced.

"I prefer Columbian Mammoths, actually," Lester grumbled under his breath, but Jess didn't even acknowledge him.

Instead she continued, "I already bought us all matching t-shirts," she said, gesturing to her own. For the first time since they'd arrived at the park, Becker actually noticed the shirt she was wearing, which had a cartoon woolly mammoth upon it with "ARC" spellt out above.

"When did you get those?" Becker asked, incredulous.

"At lunch, when I went to pick up the balls." She then got a panicked look on her face and asked quietly, "That's okay, isn't it? I mean, I know I should've asked you first, since you're the coach, but I saw them and just thought-"

Becker nodded. "It's fine, Jess."

She grinned and turned back to the team. "All right, now since we have less than a fortnight to practice, we thought we'd spend this first week concentrating on skills, and then next week we can put those skills together and try actually playing. Now, the first skill we're going to work on..."

Becker watched in amazement as she began explaining the first drill they'd decided on last night. The way she simply captured everyone's attention was truly amazing.

And they hadn't even seen her in her bra!

...

This dribbling exercise was an absolute disaster. Neela, naturally, was brilliant, and Abby was the only other one who actually seemed to know what she was doing. The other soldiers, despite Neela constantly hollering at them to "control the ball", kept kicking too hard and then had to chase it across the field. Matt, on the other hand, was maintaining so much control that he could barely move. Lester clearly didn't want to scuff his shoes, and Jess had already scolded him that he must buy some trainers before tomorrow's practice. Emily was so intrigued by the ball that she just kept randomly kicking it to watch it roll. And then there was Connor & Jess.

It was no wonder Connor was always picked last for games; he was TERRIBLE! He clearly lacked basic eye-foot coordination, which meant he was constantly tripping over the ball and tumbling to the grass.

Jess, too, kept tripping over the ball, though it wasn't due to inherent lack of athletic ability. No, her problem was entirely due to lack of concentration.

But how could she concentrate on dribbling the ball when clearly Becker was furious with her? She hadn't meant to step on his toes with the whole team name business - she'd simply thought the woolly mammoth design was cute and thought it might help them feel more like a team to have matching shirts for the game. But obviously Becker was deeply offended that she hadn't consulted him first for he'd spent the entire drill trying to avoid her. And whenever he did catch a glimpse of her team shirt, he'd frown and instantly turn away. Jess felt terrible and wanted to apologise, but she couldn't do it here in front of everyone in case he chose to yell at her, which seemed likely. So she just kept trying to think of something she could do to make it up to him instead of thinking about the football at her feet, and thus she kept ending up in the grass, feeling the fool.

After nearly half an hour, she eventually found herself near Becker by accident. He'd been chasing after his football, which he'd once again kicked too hard, and nearly collided with her. As he blurted out an automatic, "Sorry," his eyes drifted down to her shirt. He frowned and started to turn away, but she grabbed his arm. "I think everyone's had enough of the dribbling for now. Do you think we should move on to the next drill?"

Becker glanced around the field before nodding. "Yeah, clearly no one's going to get any better today. Let's do the passing."

Jess nodded, waiting for him to stop the others, not wanting to take over again. Yet he just stood there, not making any effort to call a halt to the current drill, so finally she did it herself.

"Okay, everyone," Jess said, clapping her hands together. "Let's gather 'round. It's time to move onto our next drill."

"Thank God," Lester mumbled under his breath, and the others clearly felt the same way.

After everyone was gathered, Jess turned to Becker, waiting for him to start, but instead he just gave her an annoyed look, as if to say, "You're running everything else, just go ahead."

Jess gulped nervously, feeling terrible for having upset him so, before forcing herself to bear up and smile. "All right, um, so the next thing we're going to work on is passing. Let's queue up in two lines, and, um, those on this queue can just put your balls off to one side."

Scott sniggered at this comment, and Jess could feel her cheeks turning red.

Becker, however, merely rolled his eyes at the immature response and nodded his head towards Neela. "Why don't you demonstrate for everyone?"

The female soldier nodded and gestured for Abby to be her partner. The two girls moved down the field together, with Neela demonstrating how to dribble the ball for a few steps before passing it.

"You want to make sure you kick with your laces - that is, the inside of your foot - and NOT your toes. Remember, this is FOOTball, not TOEball. And see how you want you and your partner to be constantly moving forward? You don't want your partner to have to stop and wait for the ball. Therefore, you need to kick it to where your teammate is going to be, not where she is now."

"So it's all just basic physics, momentum and stuff," Connor said. "Right. I can do that."

Jess saw both Becker and Neela give him a doubtful look.

"All right, let's do this," Jess said. "Matt and Emily, you go ahead."

Jess walked to the back of the queue, making sure to hang back so that she wouldn't be paired up with Becker, and then watched the others attempt the drill. Unfortunately, since this activity involved a new skill PLUS dribbling, which no one had yet mastered, the whole thing was even more of a fiasco. It was taking so long for Matt and Emily to move down the field, with Matt practically coming to a stop each time he attempted to dribble, that Jess suggested that the next pair start when the others were only halfway across. Connor's mad physics skills did seem to help, for he managed to pass the ball each time to where Lester should've been; unfortunately, Lester kept stopping after every pass to catch his breath and therefore was never where the ball ended up, so he kept yelling at Connor for making him chase after it.

And chasing after the ball seemed to be all that the soldiers were capable of - both Scott and Duggan and Becker and O'Rourke kept kicking the ball so hard that their partner had to sprint to track it down, making them all swear loudly at each other.

Jess finally found herself at the front of the queue, and Neela was now her partner, since there was an odd number on the team. For some reason, knowing that Becker was now angry with other people and not just her somehow made her feel better and helped her concentrate on what she was doing. Neela gave her several tips as they travelled down the field, and Jess started to feel better about her own abilities. Once they reached the end of the field, Neela dribbled the ball back as Jess went and got in the other queue so as to practice passing with her other foot.

She continued to watch the others, starting to feel very discouraged about the upcoming match. She wanted to win, but unless a miracle occurred, she simply didn't see how that was going to be possible. If only they could clone Neela, they might stand a chance, but she doubted Lester would give Connor approval to work on such a project. Thus Jess didn't see how they could manage not to humiliate themselves come match day.

Jess was still thinking this when she suddenly found herself at the front of the queue and turned to see that, instead of Neela, she was now partnered with Becker. He didn't look too thrilled about it either as he quickly looked away from her and down at his feet. He dribbled the ball for a few feet and then passed the ball without even looking over at her. As expected, the kick was way too hard, and Jess sprinted to catch up to it. She managed to stop it and began to dribble, trying to concentrate on the pointers that Neela had given her last time and not on the frowning soldier jogging across from her. After a moment she passed the ball back to Becker, placing it exactly where it belonged. She smiled smugly to herself, but the feeling didn't last long. Almost immediately he passed it back, and anticipating it to be too hard again, she sprinted to meet it. However, Becker seemed to be improving as well, and too late Jess realised she'd run too fast and found her foot coming down atop the ball. The next thing she knew she'd landed hard face-first in the grass.

Before she could even start to stand, Becker was at her side. "Jess, I'm sorry! That was totally my fault - I wasn't looking. Are you okay?" he asked, offering her a hand up. He was actually looking right at her, which he hadn't done all practice, and appeared so genuinely concerned that she suddenly didn't notice the pain radiating up her arms and legs.

She also didn't notice the way he frowned as he once again glanced at her red shirt, though his frown had absolutely nothing to do with the woolly mammoth upon it.

...

to be continued


	5. Ch 5 SORE & SORRY

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 5 - SORE & SORRY

...

Connor's bloody nose was the last straw. Becker's head was throbbing, and everyone else looked similarly miserable. Everyone, that is, except Emily, who seemed to have finally found a practical use for her hardheadedness.

"That's it," the soldier announced, catching the ball that had just been thrown at his head. "Practice is done for the day."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that the torture was over, at least for now.

"Don't forget," Becker reminded them, "we're back here tomorrow, same time."

"Same bat channel," Connor mumbled from under his bloody tissue.

As he rolled his eyes at Temple's inane comment, Jess sidled up to Becker's side. "Shouldn't we, maybe, lead a cool-down, perhaps, before everyone disperses?" she asked tentatively.

Of course she was right - they were all going to be sore enough tomorrow as it was without making matters worse by not cooling down.

"Abby, would you mind...?" he began, but she was still fussing over Connor's injury, so he turned to Ghani instead. "Would you lead everyone in a cool-down?"

The female soldier nodded and stepped in front of the group to lead the stretches. Becker mindlessly followed her lead, barely able to form a coherent thought. He wouldn't have imagined feeling so exhausted after such a simple practice - after all, he was a trained soldier, he worked out regularly, and his job was to chase down dinosaurs. Yet the stress of being in charge of the team when he didn't really know what he was doing, not to mention the war he was currently waging against his libido, was clearly taking its toll, and right now all he wanted to do was go home, take a long COLD shower, and spend the rest of his evening vegging in front of the telly.

"Once more," Neela said, rolling her shoulders back one last time before shaking out her arms. "Okay, that should do you."

Becker gave her a nod of thanks before excusing everyone with a simple, "Tomorrow, everybody."

As everyone began to disperse, he noticed Jess diligently collecting the balls in the net bag she'd brought them in. He hurried over to help her, scooping up a few balls as he went. As Jess held open the bag for him, he noticed a bruise already forming on her forearm from where she'd fallen. He still couldn't believe he'd caused her to trip, all because he didn't dare look at her, thanks to his mind obsessing about what he'd seen earlier in Ops. Now, however, all he saw was that her elbow was bruised, the palms of both her hands were skinned raw, and her knees were still green with grass stains, something which might've caused his mind to wander even further if he hadn't felt so guilty about being responsible for her injuries.

He needed to say something, to let her know how bad he felt. As he put the last ball in the bag and she pulled the drawstring to close it, he awkwardly began, "Jess, I...uh...just wanted to say-"

"I am SO sorry!"

Becker stared at her. He had no clue why she was apologising - shouldn't it be the other way around?

But she rushed on, "I so didn't mean to step on your toes with the whole team name thing. I mean, I know I should've consulted you about the shirts before buying them, but I just thought they were perfect and might make everyone feel more like a real team if we had matching shirts when we played. But we don't have to use them, it's fine, it doesn't matter. I don't care about the money or anything. And I'm happy to go get new shirts - or NO shirts, if you don't want us in matching uniforms. I mean, it's totally up to you, being the coach and all. And if you'd rather I not assist you now, I'd totally understand."

Becker had simply stared in stunned silence as she blathered on. To be honest, he hadn't given the whole team name thing a second thought. He realised, though, that he needed to say something before she continued apologising all night.

"Jess, it's okay," he said. "I don't care what our team name is."

"You don't?" She sounded incredulous, as if she didn't quite believe him.

He shook his head, explaining, "After today, it's clear we're going to make complete fools of ourselves at the match, so it doesn't much matter what our team name is."

"Really? Are you SURE you're okay with it?"

"Jess!" Becker gave an impatient sigh.

"Okay, okay, I promise I'll stop bugging you about it. But I just want you to know that if you ever have a problem with me, you can just tell me. Really! My skin's much thicker than it looks."

Becker raised a doubtful eyebrow as he glanced at her skinned hands.

She continued, "Just promise me you won't keep stuff from me. We're such good friends, and I'd hate for that to be ruined by some silly footy match. So if I upset you or do something I shouldn't or whatever, just please - I don't want anything to get weird or fester between us. Promise?"

Becker nodded absently, but his mind was awhirl. Maybe she was right. Maybe he should tell her that he found himself thinking about her way more than he should, that he couldn't take his eyes off her hemlimes, that the sight of her red t-shirt covering up what he'd seen that afternoon was driving him crazy.

But Becker had never been much of a talker; he was more of a doer. So, without thinking, he simply asked, "How about dinner tonight?" The moment the words were out, he panicked and quickly offered her a way out, "Unless you have other plans."

He needn't have worried. Jess's face lit up with a radiant smile. "Really? You mean even after today you still want me to be your assistant?"

"Assistant?" he repeated, staring blankly at her.

But she continued on as if she hadn't heard him. "I mean, clearly we need to come up with a better strategy for practice tomorrow. But don't worry - I have loads of ideas, and I'd LOVE to discuss them over dinner with you."

Having finally caught on to what she was saying, Becker just nodded. It was clear that she only saw him as a friend, nothing more, and he felt stupid for even having gotten his hopes up.

Jess began to pick up the giant bag of balls, but Becker took it from her and slung it over his shoulder as they headed for the carpark.

"We definitely need to do more conditioning first tomorrow," Jess rambled on. "Oh, and I have a PERFECT solution for what to do with Emily."

Becker nodded and, thinking about the long evening ahead with Jess prattling on about footy, forced a smile.

Though it wasn't completely forced - after all, Jess's shorts were almost as tiny as her skirts.

And over dinner he could always imagine what was under that red shirt of hers.

...

Jess was sore.

No, that didn't even begin to describe how she was feeling, but she wasn't quite awake enough yet to put the aches and pains into words. Clearly she'd used muscles at practice yesterday that she didn't even knew she had, and they were now making their presence quite known. And that alone would've been enough to make her miserable, but the injuries from her fall made things that much worse. The palms of her hands and her knees both stung from where she'd skinned them, and the bruises on her forearms were tender to the touch.

Jess didn't want to move from under the covers, but the thought of a long hot shower to soothe her aching body was enough to make her consider getting up. However, the sound of the shower running in the other room made her realise there was no point in getting up quite yet.

Though strangely enough, that wasn't HER shower that she was hearing!

Suddenly Jess sat up, wide awake. She wasn't safely in her own bed at home, she was instead on some strange couch.

Becker's couch!

As the panic started to subside, Jess realised what must've happened. She'd insisted that they watch _Bend It Like Beckham_ again, since they'd both slept through it last time. Only clearly she'd done the same thing again! And this time Becker had simply placed a pillow under her head, covered her up with blankets, and let her sleep through the night. How embarrassing!

Jess certainly didn't feel up to facing Becker's smug smile or snarky comments so early in the morning, so she quickly looked for her shoes, groaning in pain as she bent over to grab them. She tied on her trainers, grabbed her handbag, and had her hand on the doorknob when it suddenly occurred to her - her car was still back at the park! Last night they'd simply taken Becker's car to dinner and then onto his flat. Why hadn't she said something at the time? Now she was stranded here, forced to face him. She felt like such a fool!

But it is what it is, she told herself. There was no way to change what had happened, so she needed to deal with things the way they stood. With that in mind, she fished her mobile out of her handbag and automatically rung Abby's number.

"Jess? Why are you calling? Where are you? Did you not come home last night?"

"No. I'm, uh, at Becker's."

"Oh really?" Abby sounded amused.

Jess rolled her eyes. "Nothing like that. We went out to dinner to discuss the team, and then I must've fallen asleep on his couch."

"Uh-huh."

"Abby!" She certainly didn't need her flatmate's teasing this early either.

"Sorry," Abby said, sounding honestly contrite. "So you need me to bring you clothes, yeah?"

"Yes, please." Sometimes having flatmates was a godsend.

"Don't worry about it, Jess. See you at work."

As Jess rung off, something seemed different, but Jess's sleep-addled brain couldn't tell what had changed. She was just starting to realise that the shower was no longer running when Becker emerged from the bathroom wearing only a towel. Jess couldn't help but gasp at the sight - and she'd thought he'd looked good in his sweaty t-shirt at dinner!

"Oh, Jess! Sorry! I guess I'm used to living alone."

Jess shook her head. "No problem." Really, it was NO problem for her to see him like this.

"I didn't use up all the hot water, if you want to take a shower," he offered, gesturing behind him where steam was still billowing out the door, making her doubt his statement.

"Thanks, but I'm going to wait and take one at work. Abby's bringing clothes for me to change into."

Becker nodded. "Right. Then I'm gonna...go put some clothes on. Be out in a minute."

Jess watched him turn the corner and disappear into what she assumed was his bedroom. After he'd shut the door, she realised she'd been staring. She also realised that, while she wasn't going to take a shower, she did need to use the loo. She went in and glanced at herself in the mirror, but it was all steamed up from the shower. She grabbed a towel and wiped a spot clean, only to find her hair an unruly mess. She couldn't believe she'd let Becker see her like this!

She used the loo and then borrowed some of Becker's hair products to tame her hair, at least until she got to the ARC and could take her shower. Once she was satisfied she looked passable for the ride in to work, she opened the door and practically collided with the soldier, who now looked like his normal self...except for his mussy wet hair.

"I...uh...gotta...," he began, but she just nodded and slipped past him, going back to the living room. As Becker blew dry his hair, Jess folded up the blankets he'd placed over her last night and tried to tidy up, feeling guilty at having interrupted his morning routine.

After what seemed like years, Becker finally emerged, his hair perfect as ever.

At the sight of him, Jess blurted out, "I'm so sorry."

Becker looked confused. "For what?"

"For making you watch the film and then nodding off almost immediately on your couch. You should've nudged me awake and sent me home."

"I couldn't - your car's still at the park."

Jess nodded. "I know. I'm sorry about that, too. I should've had you drop me off at my car after dinner so-"

"Jessica, stop apologising. You didn't do anything wrong. You fell asleep - big deal. You were clearly knackered." He then mumbled under his breath, "And falling flat on your face probably didn't help," before finishing, "I'm just sorry I don't have a more comfortable couch."

Jess laughed. "Clearly I didn't notice - I slept so deep, I don't think I moved all night."

Becker looked somewhat relieved. "Good. I'm glad."

As Jess smiled back at him, she suddenly noticed the bad taste in her mouth - a combination of curry, mango, and popcorn - and began hesitantly, "I hate to ask, but you don't by any chance have an extra toothbrush I could use?"

Becker nodded. "Of course," he said, returning to the loo and producing a huge package of new toothbrushes from the medicine cabinet. He must've noticed the funny look she gave him for he quickly explained, "My dentist recommends replacing your toothbrush every few months, so I keep a supply on-hand so I don't forget."

Jess couldn't help but laugh. "You really are a good little soldier, aren't you?"

Becker bristled at the comment but went on. "Here, take the pink one," he said, handing it to her. "That way I'll remember it's yours and you can just keep it here for future use." He quickly corrected, "Not that I'm planning for you to sleep over again, but just in case...you know..." He suddenly frowned, and Jess wondered if he really did mind that she'd stayed over. He stepped out of the loo, saying, "Go ahead and brush, and then we'd best be going. We need to get you in to work so you can have time to change."

Jess nodded. "I don't suppose we could stop for some coffee on the way in?"

"Well, that's a given."

Jess was relieved. Perhaps after coffee and a warm shower she'd feel better.

Though seeing Becker shirtless had certainly helped!

...

to be continued


	6. Ch 6 A PRACTICAL PROPOSITION

Bend It Like Becker

...

Thanks to everyone who's sent me reviews! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! I had planned to reply to each of you, but I figured it was better to get more scenes out. :D But yes, LOTS more embarrassing situations and miscommunications will be coming shortly (plus the next few chapters actually have some plot!) Enjoy!

...

Chapter 6 - A PRACTICAL PROPOSITION

...

Walking through the ARC, it was easy to spot who had been at practice yesterday - they all looked as sore and out-of-sorts as Becker felt. Some bore it stoically, only frowning at the aches; others whined at every opportunity, as if grousing would somehow make the pain go away; whilst a few seemed to be taking their misery out on everyone else. Was it any wonder that the entire ARC staff was giving Lester's office a wide berth today? And the thought that they were going to have to do it all over again today...and tomorrow...and the NEXT was enough to make anyone despair.

Yet despite having fallen flat, Jess seemed to be handling it all with more grace than the rest. Of course, Becker reflected, if everyone had fallen asleep before half eight last night, perhaps they'd be doing as well.

Not that he blamed her - clearly she'd needed the sleep. But he had to wonder if she'd actually seen any of the film. The opening credits had barely finished before he'd noticed that her weight as she leant against his arm suddenly doubled as her breathing steadied. He kept on watching, thinking she'd soon wake up, but instead she grew heavier and heavier, like a large puppy leaning against him with all its weight. Finally his arm was so numb from the lack of circulation that he had to move it, even though he feared awaking her.

He needn't have worried! With his arm out of the way, Jess's head fell against his chest, her sleepy breaths heavy with exhaustion. After finally getting some feeling back in his arm, he tenderly wrapped it around her shoulders. She reacted automatically, snuggling in closer, cringing slightly when her skinned palms brushed against his shirt before visibly relaxing again.

Clearly she wasn't going to be waking up any time soon, and since he was certain she'd make him watch the film again anyway, Becker strained for the remote, successfully turning off the telly. As the room descended into stillness, Jess stirred, and Becker worried that he'd accidentally awoken her, which was the last thing he'd wanted to do. She obviously needed the rest, and he was afraid that any more movement on his part would awaken her. At least that's how he'd justified it to himself - he simply must stay put, holding Jess close, merely for her own good, at least till he was certain she was deep in REM sleep.

But sitting there, he reminded himself of what he'd kept mentally repeating at dinner. He needed to be practical about this. Getting together with Jess was simply a bad idea because, no matter how great she was, he'd still find a way to mess it up. He always did - his track record made that clear. Once together, it wouldn't be long before she'd want to have "the talk". The "you're-emotionally-stunted, you-care-more-about-your-gun-than-you-do-about-me, I'm-so-over-you" talk. It had become something of a tradition; hell, he'd even gotten it on the second date on more than one occasion, which probably explained why he hadn't even been on one in over two years.

But a lot had happened during those two years. He'd changed, he'd grown, he'd matured in that time. And if losing Danny, Abby, and Connor hadn't been enough, watching Sarah die had really made it hit home that there were things in life more important than rules and guns. Friendships mattered; relationships mattered; PEOPLE mattered. His emotions had been stripped raw by those losses, and now he finally felt ready for a mature, serious relationship - he was certain that he wouldn't blow it this time.

Though he wasn't quite certain enough to test this theory, at least not with Jess. It was different with Jess. What if he was wrong and blew it. They were friends, close friends. In the past, after "the talk", he'd been able to simply walk away. But with Jess, that wouldn't be an option. He'd be forced to see her every day, to hear her voice in his ear on every mission, all the while knowing that he could never have her.

Of course, that wasn't much different from the way things stood now, but at least, for the time being, he had a glimmer of hope that maybe someday...

But not today.

Even though waking up this morning with her in his flat had felt strangely comfortable. After years in the military, he was used to being around others first thing in the morning, and he couldn't think of anyone he'd rather share a morning coffee with. It was this comfort level, this familiarity that had caused him to suggest she leave a toothbrush at his house. See? He was blowing it already!

Yet Jess hadn't seemed upset by the comment, and she'd been her normal friendly self all morning, so hopefully no harm had been done.

Thus Becker kept finding excuses all morning to stick near the hub - merely as a practical reminder, of course, that they were such good friends.

Maybe someday he'd actually listen to his own advice!

Glancing up from his laptop, where he was typing up his latest mission report, he saw Jess exiting Lester's office and cheerily returning to her seat, looking beautiful and confident, nothing like the innocent child who'd drooled on his shirt last night.

And Becker couldn't believe she'd made it out of the lion's den unscathed. "You actually went in there?"

Jess gave him a blank smile. "Where? Oh, you mean Lester's office? I had to."

Becker raised a questioning eyebrow, so she continued. "I couldn't let there be a repeat of yesterday." Becker was still confused, but Jess finally clarified, "Lester WILL be wearing trainers at practice this afternoon, I promise."

The soldier laughed. "How'd you manage that?"

Jess gave a coy shrug. "I just threatened to call his wife...again!"

Becker shook his head. "You're brilliant."

"I know."

From anyone else, the comment would've seemed conceited, but on Jess it was just...cute.

And she WAS brilliant - she'd come up with the perfect solution for "the Emily problem". It wasn't difficult to see that Emily simply couldn't take her eyes off the football. While this wasn't exactly catastrophic in practice - hell, they had only just started learning to play - in the game she'd also need to watch her teammates, her opponents, and the goal. Even Ghani had mentioned to Becker that this was liable to become a huge deal, but he doubted there was any way they could change Emily in less than a fortnight.

But thanks to Jess's solution, they wouldn't need to change Emily. In fact, all the traits that Becker found frustrating in the bossy girl who never seemed to remember she was technically under his command were exactly the traits the team could use to their advantage.

"So we're going to talk to Emily at lunch, yeah?" Jess asked, as if reading his mind.

Becker simply nodded, even though her back was now turned to him, her fingers flying across the keyboard.

Such nimble fingers. He imagined they'd feel amazing trailing up the back of his neck and into his-

"Yes, we should...definitely let Emily in on the plan," Becker blurted out simply to stop his imagination from going any further.

He must stop thinking about Jess that way! Why couldn't he keep that simple fact in mind? And really, what kind of Captain was he if he couldn't even follow his own orders? If he was going to survive this whole football fiasco, he needed to start thinking like a coach. Emily might be taken care of, but a pair of trainers certainly wasn't going to turn Lester into Beckham!

That thought definitely put everything into perspective - thinking of the practice ahead of them that afternoon was exactly the cold shower he needed.

...

"Emily," Jess called as she wound her way through the canteen tables. Reaching her friend, Jess sat down across from her and blurted out, "We have a proposition for you."

Emily turned and gave Matt a confused look, so Jess quickly clarified, "Not THAT kind of proposition."

Jess then turned to Becker, who had sat down at her side, waiting for him to proceed. After all, he was the coach, so the invitation should come from him.

"Emily," Becker began, "we'd like you to be our goalkeeper."

"What's a goalkeeper?" Emily asked.

"The player that defends the goal, of course," Jess explained.

"What's the goal?"

Jess heard Becker's frustrated sigh, so she quickly blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "You get to use your hands."

Emily nodded. "Oh yes, I'd like that."

"Emily," Matt warned. "Perhaps you should find out more before agreeing to anything. You don't even know the rules of the game. And the goalkeep is the most important player on the team. This isn't something you should rush into it."

Becker was glaring daggers at Matt, and Jess could tell he was about to boil over, so it was once again up to her to diffuse the situation.

"True, the goalkeeper is very important - it's her job to directly prevent the opposing team from scoring," Jess began. "Per Neela, the goalkeeper has to be fearless. She can't be afraid of the ball; she must be able to stop or kick or head it and be willing to do anything, even dive, to make sure the ball doesn't go into the net, or the goal," she quickly clarified, remembering how little Emily knew about the game. "She also has to be willing to go one-on-one with her opponents and not be intimidated by them. And yes, there are special rules for the goalkeeper, including being able to use your hands, but we can teach those to you later. So what do you think?"

Emily had nodded as Jess defined each requirement, clearly feeling up to the task. At Jess's question, Emily looked to Matt, who merely shrugged.

"Don't let me stop you."

Emily grinned and turned back to the coaches. "Sounds like fun. I will do it."

Becker gave an audible sigh of relief, and Jess knew he was thankful that at least one headache was taken care of. And she'd talked to Lester once again before lunch and confirmed that he was just heading out to buy his trainers, so that was another thing to tick off the list. Slowly their team was coming together.

"So what are you lot discussing so intently?" Abby asked as she and Connor joined them at the table, the latter emitting a mumbled "Ow...ow...ow," as he slowly lowered himself into his seat.

"Emily's going to be our goalkeeper," Jess announced proudly.

Abby smiled at the news, but Connor did not look pleased.

"Are you insane, mate?" he blurted out.

"Connor!" Abby scolded, but Connor felt his outburst had been justified.

"The goalkeep is the toughest position on the team - why would anyone want to tackle that? Hell, I'm not sure I'm even up for the position of benchwarmer at this point."

"You're not a benchwarmer, Temple," Becker said, his patience clearly growing thin. "You have to play - we all do."

"Yeah, I'm been meaning to ask you about that," Connor said. "Why exactly do we only have eleven on the team? Shouldn't we have substitutes or something?"

Jess had wondered that herself and even asked Becker about it. The truth was, Becker had had a hard enough time getting four soldiers to volunteer...and by volunteer, he'd meant he'd been forced to bribe them. Not Neela, of course, because she truly enjoyed the sport, though after last night's disastrous practice even she might soon be demanding some kind of payback for volunteering.

However, Becker probably didn't want to admit any of this to Connor, so Jess quickly answered, "The RSID team doesn't want us bringing in any ringers at the last moment."

Of course, this had nothing to do with what Connor had asked, but she'd said it so matter-of-factly that he seemed completely satisfied with her answer. Becker, however, gave her a discrete nod, indicating he was thankful for her clever diversion.

Abby also gave her an amused look, indicating she, at least, was aware that the last question hadn't really been answered, before she herself asked, "How late is practice likely to go tonight?"

Becker shrugged. "Till 1930 or so."

"Why do you ask?" Emily inquired, curious.

"I have my yoga class tonight, and I was hoping that I could still make it."

Jess was amazed. "After practicing footy for two hours, you're planning to go do yoga?"

"Yep," Connor confirmed. "She's certifiable, ain't no question."

"You know, Connor," Abby pointed out, "if you came to yoga with me every week, you'd be in better shape and wouldn't be in such pain today."

"Really?" Emily asked, intrigued, obviously feeling achy herself. "What is yoga?"

"It's ancient Sanskrit for agony," Connor answered before Abby launched into a real explanation.

...

to be continued


	7. Ch 7 DYNAMIC DISTRACTIONS

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 7 - DYNAMIC DISTRACTIONS

...

After Abby's warm-ups, Becker announced to the team, "Football isn't just a game of skill; it's a game of endurance. To that end, we're going to start today with some laps."

As the others groaned, Emily simply asked, "What are laps?"

"Sheer and excruciating torture is what they are," Connor not-so-helpfully explained.

As Becker rolled his eyes, Jess jumped in with, "We're going to run, in this case around the perimeter of the field."

"How many times?" Duggan asked.

Becker shook his head. "This isn't about speed or distance; it's about endurance. So instead of giving you a number of laps to complete, we're giving you a number of minutes instead. Thirty, to be exact."

Everyone once again groaned at the prospect.

"Like Coach Becker said," Jess chimed in, and Becker suddenly found the new title strange to his ears, "footy is a fast-paced game, and we need to be able to keep going for the entire match. Now obviously everyone is at different fitness levels, so that's why we're setting a time limit, not a distance. You can run as slow or as fast as you want, but the rule is that you're not allowed to stop."

"Kill me now," Connor whined.

Lester was more acerbic. "If I die, may I stop?"

"No, Lester, you may not," Jess answered without batting an eye. "Didn't you hear me? Stopping's simply not allowed. No exceptions for death or anything else you might attempt to fake."

Lester scowled but didn't answer back, and Becker noticed the slight grin of victory on Jess's face. He was always amazed at how Jess didn't balk in the face of Lester's derision. Instead, she tended to treat him like a petulant child, not her boss. In this case, of course, "Coach Becker" was technically the boss, but the soldier knew he could never stand up to Lester the way Jess did, which gave him yet another reason to be thankful she was assisting him.

Becker turned back to the others, looking straight at Ghani and Abby as he added, "For those of you up to it, you should run with high knees." It was something that he'd noticed in the film last night and realised it would be a good thing for the true athletes in the group to try. Glancing at his watch, he announced, "Okay, your 30 minutes starts...now."

Even with the clock running, it took a few minutes for the team to actually get moving. As expected, the two athletic girls led the way, and Becker and the other soldiers followed. Matt and Emily trailed close behind, but the last two took quite a bit of coaxing to get started. Becker felt bad leaving Jess behind to sort them out, but he knew she was up to the task Before he was out of earshot, he overhead Jess complimenting Lester's new trainers before casually mentioning something about the Minister, so Becker wasn't surprised to soon see his guv'nor reluctantly starting his laps.

Running wasn't a problem for Becker - he ran most mornings anyway to stay in shape, though he hadn't been able to with Jess there this morning. Not that he'd minded, of course - he'd awoken so sore, he probably wouldn't have gone anyway. But it felt good now to loosen up his muscles a bit. And this was so much better than trying to run with a football betwixt his feet, though he knew they'd be getting to that again soon enough. In the meantime, he was just glad to run, free from distractions.

The park was small - Jess hadn't been able to reserve a real football field for practices till the following week - so Becker soon found himself coming up behind the slower members of the team. Lester, of course, was the slowest, practically running slower than he walked. But he was following Becker's (or, more accurately, Jess's) orders and not stopping, which, after practice yesterday, Becker realised was a huge accomplishment for the man. Jess kept turning around to yell encouraging things to Lester, and when she caught sight of Becker passing their boss, she flashed him a sweet smile.

As she turned back around, resuming her conversation with Connor, Becker noticed for the first time that she was wearing the same red t-shirt that she'd worn to practice yesterday, and it took a moment for his brain to figure out why- Abby had brought clean clothes for Jess to wear at work all day, but she hadn't remembered to bring new practice clothes as well. Becker still found her shirt's bright colour distracting, but he seemed to be winning the war against his libido today and was able to look at her shirt without instantly imagining what was underneath.

And as he approached her and Connor, he could hear them babbling away about some new computer program. Their conversation was animated, as if they were sitting around the canteen, not running laps at football practice. Passing them, he good-naturedly scolded, "Cut the chatter."

"Hey, I'm not Red Two," Temple yelled after him before bursting into laughter. Becker rolled his eyes, not understanding the comment but guessing it was some sort of dork reference, especially when he heard the conversation behind him suddenly switch from computers to _Star Wars_.

This next time around the field Becker began to take stock of the rest of the team. Ghani and Abby were going to be great, and the other soldiers would probably do fine, even though, if yesterday's practice was any indication, they, like Becker himself, clearly needed more control. Emily was taken care of, but Becker worried that Matt's cautious nature would not be so easily overcome. And of course there was still Connor and Lester, but Becker was at a loss as to what could be done about them.

Though Lester had not yet stopped running, Becker noticed as he passed his boss for the second time. Perhaps the solution for Lester was to simply put Jess in charge of him, for Lester seemed truly terrified of the petite girl.

And Temple still seemed content chatting away with Jess, even though he'd already completed several laps around the park. After the grousing he'd done all day, Becker found this to be a small miracle.

Though it wasn't until he was about to lap the pair for a second time that it occurred to Becker what she was doing. Jess was clearly distracting Connor with friendly conversation so that he wouldn't notice he was actually exercising. And from the smile on Connor's face, it seemed to be working like a charm.

Becker noticed something else, too. Even though Jess's pace was slow, no doubt to stay even with Connor (and not TOO far ahead of Lester so she could continue to offer him some encouragement), she was actually running with high knees, thus giving herself more of a workout even as she chatted away.

She truly was brilliant.

Though it did make Becker wonder if she was this talkative during other physical exertions.

Stop that!, the soldier scolded himself, realising he still had some work to do, after all, keeping his libido in check.

...

As the dribbling exercise wore on, the team naturally began separating itself into two sections, like cream rising to the top of fresh milk. In this case, the cream represented the true athletes in the bunch - Abby and the five soldiers had ended up on the far side of the field, and Jess could hear Neela shouting out helpful hints to all of them. Jess, however, seemed stuck behind with the milk: the pathetic group of players in front of her.

Emily was still staring intently at the ball as she ran the drill, though Jess didn't worry about her, knowing Emily wouldn't have much cause for dribbling during the game. But Matt was simply not improving, continuing to practically stand still as he tried to keep ultimate control over the ball. Jess tried to give Connor some of the tips Neela had given her yesterday, but regardless he kept tripping over the ball. And then there was her boss.

"What seems to be the problem, Lester?" Jess asked cheerily as she approached her guv'nor, trying to talk and dribble her own ball at the same time.

Lester gave her a withering look, as if any idiot could see that his problem was he was being forced to play this bloody game in the first place.

But Jess recognised the source of his other problem - he seemed reluctant to touch the filthy ball with his brand new white trainers for fear of getting them dirty.

And Jess knew just the solution.

"Hey!" Lester yelled as Jess carefully stepped on his foot. He tried to jump back, but she was persistent and managed to tread on both his shoes several times, leaving dirt and grass stains behind.

"Problem solved," Jess announced triumphantly as she took in her handiwork...or, more precisely, her footwork.

"I can have you sacked, you know," Lester grumbled as he bent down to try to wipe his new shoes clean.

"And then who would lie to the Minister about your whereabouts all afternoon?" Jess teased. "Now dribble! You have no excuse not to kick the ball now," she said as she dribbled her own ball away. Surreptitiously she stole a glance back and realised that Lester was, indeed, finally doing the drill properly, and Jess couldn't help but smile.

Soon Emily approached her with her football in hand. "Jess, I did some research this afternoon, and it seems that I won't have too much use for dribbling during the match."

Jess nodded. "But we still need you to practice handling the ball like everyone else. I promise, though, we'll come up with some goalkeep skills for you to work on tomorrow."

Emily shook her head. "That's not why I'm asking. I'm...," she looked nervously about her and lowered her voice before finishing, "...concerned about Matt."

The two girls turned and watched the team leader for a moment as he continued to dribble in practically the same place that he'd started. Jess nodded, saying, "I'm concerned, too, but I don't know what can be done."

"I was thinking, perhaps, that I could stop dribbling myself and pretend I was his opponent. I'm certain that he'd be less wary about moving across the lawn if he knew I was trying to steal the ball."

Jess smiled. "That's brilliant! Go ahead, and let's see if it works."

Jess watched as Emily tossed her own ball over towards the bag of extras and then stealthily approached Matt from behind. Before he was even aware of her presence, she kicked the ball out from between his legs and chased after it, leaving him standing there looking stupefied.

"Hey!" Matt complained, but Emily merely picked up the ball with her hands and tossed it to him with a satisfied grin.

"Being cautious doesn't necessarily mean being slow," Emily taunted as she approached Matt and, as soon as he began to dribble, once again managed to kick the ball away from him.

Jess realised that this might be a good exercise for the others as well. She walked over to Lester, who was finally doing some dribbling himself, and said, "Give me your ball, Lester. I want you to go steal Connor's."

Lester grumbled something under his breath but reluctantly did as he was asked. Unfortunately, he merely marched over and shoved Connor, knocking him to the ground, before picking up the ball.

"No, no, no!" Jess scolded, walking over and yanking the ball from Lester's hands. She then gave Connor a hand up as she instructed, "Watch how Emily does it."

The three of them watched, and it was amazing the way Matt's dribbling had instantly started to improve. True, he didn't have quite the same control over the ball as he'd previously had, but he was able to actually move and was even starting to learn how to change directions in his attempts to prevent Emily from stealing it.

"Here," Jess said, tossing the ball back to Connor. "Now you two try it."

It was just what Lester's confrontational nature needed. Obviously he would never be a brilliant footballer, but at least he was no longer afraid to go after the ball. Unfortunately Connor kept ending up on the ground, so eventually Jess had them switch roles.

Jess, herself, had stopped dribbling in order to try to give pointers to the others. She soon noticed that the players across the field had followed her lead, and they, too, were adding defense into their drill, with Neela demonstrating certain tricks for both the offense and the defense. Jess felt a twinge of jealousy, wishing she could be with them, but she knew she was helping the team by being over here.

Eventually Becker walked over, standing at Jess's side and watching the others for a few moments before speaking.

"You're brilliant. As always."

Jess smiled. "Actually it was Emily's idea," she confessed, but Becker didn't seem to care.

"Still, I can't believe the improvement."

Jess nodded. "I think it helps take their minds off how horrible they are," she blurted out, steeling a quick glance over towards the more skilled players across the field.

Becker frowned, looking back and forth between the two separated groups before calling out to them all, "Hey, let's gather 'round."

Jess wasn't sure what Becker was up to, but once the others walked up, he asked, "Ghani, can you lead the cool-down?"

"We're ending so soon?" Jess asked - they still had over 45 minutes left and were just starting to see some improvement.

But Becker shook his head. "No one said anything about practice ending." He then turned back to Neela, prompting, "Ghani? Cool-down?"

Jess was confused by his behaviour but mindlessly followed Neela's stretches, her mind racing, trying to guess Becker's strategy.

Once the cool-down was over, Becker announced, "And now we'll finish our practice at The Cat and Canary. First round's on me. But first, everyone grab a ball."

Becker picked up the net bag and held it open as everyone excitedly tossed in the balls and headed towards the car park.

"Practice at the pub?" Jess asked, still not certain what he had in mind.

But Becker merely nodded. "It's just what the team needs."

...

to be continued


	8. Ch 8 WHISKEY WHIMS

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 8 - WHISKEY WHIMS

...

As promised, Becker paid for the first round, but Lester ended up paying for the second...and the third! He also purchased an entire bottle of an expensive whiskey and kept pouring glasses for anyone who asked. Becker was surprised and pleased - it was certainly much more than he could've hoped for when he'd adjourned the practice to the pub.

Until now it hadn't really occurred to him that he was only focussing on the individual players. Watching them with Jess at practice, he'd been pleased to see Matt finally starting to loosen up a bit and show some improvement. Even Lester seemed be getting better, which convinced Becker that Jess must be some kind of miracle worker.

But as he'd talked to Jess, he'd realised how demoralising it must be for the poorer players. It must be obvious to them that they weren't as good as the others and were liable to bring the team down, especially since they weren't getting any encouragement from their coach.

And that's when Becker realised what he'd been doing wrong - he'd been concentrating on the individuals, not considering the team as a whole. In fact, the team didn't even FEEL like a team; it merely felt like a motley assemblage of ARC staff. Yet in just over a week they'd be on the pitch playing together. The Minister was expecting them to play as a team, to demonstrate that same teamwork on the field that they showed in the field. So Becker realised it was about time they started acting like a team...and thus the pub.

Frankly he'd been worried that Lester would resist joining them, and Becker had planned to set Jess upon him if he did. However, that hadn't been necessary - Lester had come willing and seemed happy to be sharing his whiskey with his fellow teammates, and they were enjoying seeing Lester in a new light.

In fact, everyone seemed to be loosening up and getting to know their fellow players better. Ghani was off in the corner discussing goalkeeping strategies with Emily, and Lester, O'Rourke, and Matt were engaged for nearly the entire evening in a heated argument over which brand of whiskey was the best. At one point, Abby dragged the others over to watch her trounce Duggan in a game of billiards. Scott, unfortunately, seemed more interested in hitting on every girl in the vicinity than hanging out with his teammates, but at least he was providing entertainment for the rest of them as they all watched him get struck down again and again.

However, something seemed wrong with Jess. She was acting quiet and reserved; in other words, entirely un-Jess-like. Perhaps she was upset that, with so much work to do, Becker had cut practice short without consulting her, especially when she seemed to be making such progress with Matt and Lester. Or perhaps she was upset that she'd been stuck coaching the rejects in the first place when he was off having fun with Abby and the other soldiers. Yet she didn't exactly seem mad, so he wasn't sure what her problem was.

It was clear, however, what Connor's problem was - he was apparently the biggest lightweight on the planet, since even Jess was drinking him under the table. So it was no surprise that when Abby left early to go to her yoga class, she took Connor with her. Becker thought their leaving might break up the party, but the rest of the team seemed content to stay where they were.

After watching both Scott and O'Rourke slaughter Duggan in billiards, Becker wandered over to where Jess was sitting with a very intense look upon her face.

"You okay?" Becker asked.

Jess stared at him for a moment, as if contemplating a course of action, before merely pointing up to the ceiling, explaining, "This is one of my favourite songs."

Becker attempted to listen for the music over the rumble of conversations and could just make out the strains of the latest Lady Gaga dance hit. He hadn't even noticed the music playing before, but now it made him nervous - he'd never known Jess to sit still when she heard a peppy dance beat! So it definitely wasn't his imagination - she was upset about something, but clearly she'd determined that now was not the best time to discuss it.

Over an hour later, Lester glanced at his watch and gasped.

"Is that the time?" he asked, suddenly jumping to his somewhat unsteady feet. "My wife will kill me."

"Just say practice went late," Jess suggested helpfully, but Lester shook his head.

"It's not exactly believable when I arrive home with whiskey on my breath."

"Would you like me to call and explain?" Jess asked, reaching into her handbag for her mobile, but Lester stopped her.

"No, I think can handle it. I just best be off."

The others started making their excuses as well and heading for the door. Jess stumbled slightly on her way out, and Becker instinctively offered her his arm, which she took and kept ahold of as they walked outside with everyone.

"Just remember," Becker told his players, "Don't expect practice at the pub tomorrow night. We've loads to work on before Saturday next."

Everyone said their goodbyes and started to disperse, eventually leaving Becker and Jess alone in front of the pub.

"May I, uh, walk you to your car?" Becker asked, noticing that she still was holding his arm.

Jess, however, frowned, and Becker thought, this is it. I'm about to have it for whatever I've done that's upset her.

Therefore he was quite surprised when she replied simply, "I don't believe it's safe for me to drive home in my current condition. Would you mind terribly driving me? If you'd rather not drive across town, I'm happy to stay on your couch...if it's not too much bother."

Becker shook his head, relieved that she wasn't upset with him after all. "No, no bother at all."

Jess smiled sweetly up at him, and Becker felt his heart skip a beat. He couldn't believe his luck - another evening alone with Jess in his flat! Clearly he must be doing something right.

As they started down the pavement towards his car, Jess stumbled again and clutched his arm more tightly, making him realise just how drunk she really was.

The full meaning of this took a moment to sink in - he was taking a very sloshed Jess home with him, less than a day after convincing himself that they shouldn't get together.

This wasn't luck - this was clearly some form of torture!

...

The ride to Becker's flat was quieter than usual, and Jess realised it was because she herself wasn't talking much, thanks entirely to the whiskey! She'd already been dehydrated from practice when they'd arrived at the pub, and she'd stupidly had an entire glass of Lester's ridiculously potent Midleford Very Rare before she realised that her stomach was empty. She'd quickly ordered a meat pie and stole some soggy chips off of Connor's plate as she'd waited, but it was already too late - she was a goner.

So she'd spent the evening trying to drink as much water as she could, and the fact that she hadn't run to the loo once just proved how dehydrated she'd been. They stayed at the pub so long, she'd hoped she'd be well enough to drive when they finally left, but Lester had continued to top off her whiskey glass several times, so she knew it'd be irresponsible to get behind the wheel of a car.

Just as it would've been irresponsible to grab Becker and make him dance with her when her favourite song had come on, even though that's the first thought that had entered her mind at the time. But then she'd thought about it. Did she want to dance with Becker because she actually wanted to dance with Becker or merely because she'd had so much whiskey? Since she couldn't be 100% certain, she'd decided to err on the side of caution, merely staying seated and enjoying what she could hear of the song above the roar of the pub.

Similar things had happened all night. On several occasions, words had been just on the tip of her tongue when she'd had second thoughts and kept quiet instead.

And that's exactly what happened as they approached Becker's door. Jess thought about teasing, "Third night in a row - perhaps you should make me a key," but she didn't. Instead she paused, wondering if she would've said the same thing if she'd been completely sober. Knowing her, she probably would've - she was always blurting out inappropriate things when it came to Becker, Freudian things that she'd rather Becker not know crossed her mind. Like teasing him about making her a key - that's what a girl asks a guy after they've been dating for some time, not what a friend says after only a few nights hanging out together.

And thus Jess kept quiet as Becker struggled to open the door for them, nervously dropping his keys not once but twice.

As he finally swung the door open, Jess asked, "Unless you're desperate, may I use your loo first?"

Becker looked worried. "Do you feel sick?"

Jess shook her head. "I've simply had a lot to drink," she stated. She was going to clarify, to explain she'd been drinking glass after glass of water all evening in an attempt to stay hydrated, but he must've seen her doing so and thus there was no reason to explain. Instead, she merely clarified, "May I use it then?"

"Yes, of course! Go ahead," Becker blurted out, looking guilty as if he'd done something unchivalrous. That look often crossed his face, which Jess found strange, since he was one of the most chivalrous gentlemen she'd ever met.

When she emerged from the loo, Becker was busy piling blankets on the couch. When he saw her, he explained, "I think you should sleep in my bed tonight. Not with me," he clarified, and there was that look again. "I mean, I'll take the couch, and you can have my bed."

"I'm perfectly fine sleeping on the couch," Jess said, but Becker seemed adamant.

"No, I insist. You slept on the couch last night - it's only fair that you get the bed tonight."

However, Jess could be just as stubborn, especially when she had common sense on her side. "You shouldn't have to pay for my poor judgement." After all, she was the one who'd been foolish enough to drink too much. At least she hadn't been completely irresponsible, unlike the Great Tequila Accident of 2010. Which reminded her, "Do you mind if I get myself a glass of water?"

"Yes. I mean, of course I don't mind. Help yourself. Actually, let me get it for you."

"I'm perfectly capable of getting it myself," Jess said before letting herself into his kitchen. She felt so comfortable here, and not just because this was her third evening in a row at his flat. But his place just felt so homey and inviting, she simply wanted to snuggle up on the couch with a hot cup of tea, a film, and Becker.

And while she'd done just that the last two nights, she suddenly wondered if tonight's impulse had more to do with the alcohol than her own desires. So instead of putting the kettle on and calling out that they simply MUST watch the rest of _Bend It Like Beckham_ tonight, she merely poured herself a glass of water and returned to the living room.

Becker was no longer there, so she sat down on the couch, carefully drinking her water, trying to calculate exactly how many litres of liquid she'd consumed that night.

Becker soon reemerged, carrying some folded clothes. He set them down on the coffee table, explaining, "I thought you might like these to sleep in. I don't know what you normally wear to bed," - there was that guilty look again - "but I thought you might like these so you don't have to sleep in that same t-shirt again tonight. Not that it smells or anything. I didn't even notice it smelling at practice - not that I was...I just meant..." Becker sighed, clearly frustrated with his inability to communicate, before finishing with, "This shirt's a bit small on me, and the jogging bottoms have a drawstring so they should fit."

Jess nodded. Becker seemed to be talking so much tonight. Perhaps he was naturally talkative, but she'd simply never noticed because she herself was usually so chatty. Or was his long-windedness, perhaps, an effect of the alcohol? Or maybe even a combination of the two? She must test these theories at some point.

Since she hadn't yet spoken, Becker nervously picked the clothes back up. "I didn't mean to force anything on you - you're welcome to sleep in whatever you want. I mean, if you want to sleep in your shirt, that's fine with me. Or you're welcome to go through my drawers - to look for other clothes, I mean. Obviously I don't have any proper nightshirts or pyjamas or anything, but perhaps you could find something that you'd be more comfortable in. Or maybe you're more comfortable sleeping in the buff" - and again with that look - "but that's fine, I'll just shut the door to give you your privacy, and I've even got a robe you could put on for the morning, though I can't think where that robe's gotten to, but I can go look for it if you'd like. Would you like me to look for it?"

Wow! She'd never heard Becker string so many sentences together before. Not that they were very coherent sentences - she certainly wouldn't want to diagram them for English class - but they were definitely more words than she'd ever heard from him at one sitting. She really must test her theories about his newfound talkativeness soon.

But not now. He seemed ready to implode, as if the fate of the world hinged on this whole bedclothing issue. So she stood up and calmly took the pile of clothing from him, simply stating, "These will be fine. Thank you."

She couldn't tell if the look on his face was relief or disappointment. And whichever it was, it seemed to be mixed with that guilty, unchivalrous look of his.

She really must come up with some theories for that as well.

...

to be continued


	9. Ch 9 LADEN LOOKS

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 9 - LADEN LOOKS

...

Becker barely slept a wink all night, and it wasn't just because he was lying on his couch.

He still was shocked that Jess had ultimately opted for the bed. Not that he minded - he felt better knowing she was sleeping soundly in his bedroom. But she'd seemed so insistent earlier that he shouldn't be put out. So what had changed her mind, he wondered. It had seemingly come out of the blue. He'd been just about to head for bed himself when she'd up and asked, "Do you mind, after all, if I do sleep in your bed tonight?"

Of course he couldn't help where his mind instantly went, and he scolded himself for such thoughts. "Of course, Jess. Not a problem," he quickly affirmed, but he couldn't help but notice Jess staring intensely at him, as if she were trying to figure something out. He swallowed nervously under such scrutiny before mumbling, "I'll go get the sheets."

She followed him into the bedroom and helped him strip the bed. He was thankful he was no longer a 14-year-old boy or else it would've been obvious what he'd been dreaming of these past few nights. Standing at the foot of the bed, he neatly spread out the bottom flat sheet. Jess watched him for a moment with a curious expression before nodding, as if she'd figured something out. She then approached the bottom corner of the bed, but Becker quickly stopped her.

"I'll do it," he insisted. After years of making his bed in the military, he didn't really trust others to do it correctly.

But Jess serenely replied, "I know how to make proper hospital corners - I was a Girl Guide, you know."

Becker hadn't known, but it made sense. And she DID know how to do them quite adequately, though her technique wasn't quite up to his standards. Of course, she probably hadn't been forced to do 50 pushups if a quarter didn't bounce off her bed.

Though the image of Jess and bouncing beds was really not what Becker needed in his head right now! So he quickly blurted out, "A Girl Guide, yeah? That must've been fun. What did you get badges in? Girl Guides have badges, yeah? Like in Scouts? I gained several challenge awards myself - led a few expeditions into the woods when I was 14 or so. My father thought it'd be good training for the military."

Jess nodded placidly as she helped him spread out the top sheet. "Flannel," she observed.

Becker nodded. "I hope flannel's okay - they were on top."

"Yes, I like flannel sheets. I tend to get cold when I sleep."

It was, in fact, something Becker had noticed the past two nights, though now his mind couldn't help but imagine much better ways of keeping her warm.

Damn it! Why couldn't he just stop thinking about Jess like that?

But it was no use. And now he'd been awake all night thinking about her, despite his best efforts to concentrate on other things, such as falling asleep, or football, or even how uncomfortable the couch was.

Finally, around 5, he decided to simply get up and go for a run. Clearly he wasn't going to get any more sleep, and the brisk morning air might do his libido some good. He got up and folded the blankets neatly before heading for his bedroom to get some running clothes. But as he reached the door, he suddenly stopped. Jess was inside, asleep in his bed - isn't that why he couldn't sleep in the first place? It was so early, he didn't want to wake her by knocking, yet he felt guilty at the prospect of walking in uninvited.

He was still standing there, trying to decide what to do, when the door suddenly flew up. Becker jumped, and Jess let out a yelp.

"Sorry, Jess! Sorry! It's just me. I just need to get my running clothes - I didn't wake you, did I?"

"No. I'm just off to the loo."

Becker took a wary step back. "You're not sick, are you?" He wouldn't be surprised if she was, considering how much whiskey she'd imbibed last night. And of course, if she was sick, he simply wouldn't be able to leave her alone in the flat.

But he saw Jess shake her head in the dim light. "No. I just had a LOT to drink last night. Way more water than whiskey, thankfully. Though now it's catching up to me, and I am a bit desperate." He noticed for the first time that she was doing an impatient dance in the doorway.

"Oh, of course! Sorry," Becker said, quickly stepping aside to let her by. Yet Jess paused for a moment, studying his face, before hurrying off to the loo.

Once she was safely inside, Becker went on into his bedroom and grabbed up some running clothes. Without thinking, he almost started changing into them before remembering that Jess would be back any second. He picked up his trainers and headed for the toilet, figuring he could change in there.

He reached the door right as Jess opened it, and once again their unexpected presence startled each other.

"Sorry, Jess," Becker apologised yet again - it seemed like that's all he did these days.

Jess, however, laughed. "We've simply got to stop meeting like this," she teased. "Of course, that wouldn't be an issue if I wasn't always sleeping over. Not that I've been "sleeping over" sleeping over. I mean, I simply couldn't drive home last night, and I didn't mean to fall asleep on you the night before...or the night before that, either. You just have a warm chest, and as I said, I tend to get cold in my sleep. Not that it's your responsibility to keep me warm when I sleep! I was perfectly warm last night under the flannel...sheets..."

One thing was for certain - the old, talkative Jess was back. So why was she now staring intensely at him the way she'd done last night? It made him nervous, especially as she'd practically been reading his very thoughts just now! He looked away, feeling extremely uncomfortable.

Luckily he didn't have to say anything, because Jess was once again Jess.

"Oh, you need to change into your running kit, don't you? Sorry. You'd probably like me to get out of your way so you can get in, yeah? Please, be my guest," she said, stepping out and exaggeratedly gesturing for him to enter. "Of course, it's your toilet, so I suppose you're already welcome to use it, yeah? I guess I'm not really awake yet. Which reminds me, what time is it?"

Becker shrugged. "5ish."

Jess's eyes grew wide. "Then you have fun on your run. And wake me up when you get back, because I'm going back to bed!"

And Becker watched her calmly walk into his bedroom, clad in his shirt and jogging bottoms, as if it was the most natural thing in the world.

He really hoped it was brisk out this morning because clearly he was going to need it!

...

"I think Becker likes me," Jess blurted out as Abby handed her the pile of clean clothes.

"Oh, really?" Abby smiled, cocking an eyebrow. "You know, Jess, much as I'd love to hear all the juicy details, I don't think the locker room is the best place for it. Tonight, yeah? And I do at least hope you were careful."

Jess gave Abby a "duh" look. "Of COURSE I was careful, Abby - that's why I didn't drive home."

At Abby's eye roll, Jess suddenly made the connection. "Oh! You mean 'careful'. Don't be silly - nothing like THAT happened last night."

The blonde girl's disappointment was evident on her face. "So then how do you know he likes you? Other than the fact that he hasn't balked at your pathetic excuses for 'sleeping over' the last two nights?"

"Because I'm doing an experiment," Jess stated matter-of-factly. "Two, actually, though I haven't really started on the one yet."

Abby looked stricken. "Please don't tell me you've been sleeping over at his house just to rifle through his drawers while he's sleeping!"

"Abby!" Jess was horrified that her friend would even think that of her. Of course, after the things she'd confessed to Abby of actually having done during the early days of her crush, she guessed it wasn't that much of a leap. "No, the first experiment - well, the first one that I thought of, though it's the one I haven't really started yet because I need to run some control studies first - has to do with whether Becker was really talkative last night because of the alcohol, or because I was being quiet, or a combination of both."

"Wait, wait, wait! Becker was talkative? And you were quiet? Man, Connor was right - we missed all the fun leaving early last night."

Having been reminded, Jess quickly asked, "Oh yes, how was your yoga class?"

But apparently Abby didn't want to discuss herself right now. "Jessica, focus!"

Jess's eyes narrowed. "Did you just call me 'Jessica'?"

Abby thought for a moment. "I guess I did." She shrugged. "Must be spending too much time around Becker."

"Exactly!" Jess said, frowning. "Becker's the only person allowed to call me Jessica. Other than my mum, of course. And for some reason my dad's always called me Jessi, which is so weird because he has a boy cousin named Jesse, so you'd think-"

"Jessica!"

"Abigail!"

"Just get to the point!" From her impatient tone, Jess sensed that Abby had gotten up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. "So what's this other experiment you're doing?"

"Oh, right. So I've come to the conclusion that Becker likes me."

"Isn't this where I came in?" Abby asked, throwing her hands up in despair. "Elaborate, Jess."

Jess nodded and took a steeling breath. Now that she was about to say it outloud, she suddenly felt silly, like she'd imagined the entire thing. Only she hadn't imagined it. She wasn't seeing things. And hopefully, when she explained it all, Abby wouldn't tell her the theory was rubbish.

"So...you know how I'm constantly blurting out things when I'm around Becker?"

"Gosh no, Jess, I have no idea what you're talking about," Abby teased good-naturedly.

Jess blushed as she swatted her friend. "Hey, be nice, or I'll continue keeping you in suspense."

That did the trick. "Sorry. Go ahead."

"So anyway, I tend to blurt out things when I'm with Becker, embarrassing things. It's totally Freudian, because I'm always saying things that I've thought about but I don't want HIM to know I've thought about. But then when I try to explain myself, I just dig myself in deeper and deeper. And he always just lets me - he just sits back and stares and makes me feel stupid, so I blurt out more stuff, and it's just a vicious cycle."

Abby nodded, an amused grin on her face. "Yes, I am familiar with the phenomenon."

Jess took a deep breath before concluding, "Well, I've determined that Becker does the same thing. Only he doesn't say things; he thinks them."

The blonde raised a doubtful eyebrow. "So you're a mindreader now?"

"No, but I can read his face. He has this look, Abby - this look like he feels guilty as if he's done something unchivalrous. Only in most cases, he HASN'T done anything unchivalrous. In fact, he's usually being a perfect gentleman at the time. Which can only mean one thing."

Abby looked confused. "That he likes you?" she asked, sounding unsure.

"No! Well yes, in a way. That look has to mean that he HAS done something unchivalrous, and since he hasn't, it can only mean that he's thought it."

Abby shook her head. "You've lost me."

"Okay, so for example, yesterday morning, when he gave me the toothbrush, he commented that I should simply keep it at his place 'for future use'. And then he got the Look."

"The guilty, 'I've-done-something-unchivalrous' look," Abby said, trying to keep up.

"Exactly! Now why would he do that? It was a perfectly innocent comment, considering I'd fallen asleep at his flat two nights in a row. In fact, it was a perfectly chivalrous comment - he wanted me to feel like I was welcome to stay if I needed to. So why would he look as if he'd done something wrong?"

"Because he'd been thinking?" Abby asked, finally starting to catch on.

"Exactly!" Jess said with a triumphant grin. "He'd THOUGHT about me staying over at his place before...and not just because I was knackered from practice. But then he felt guilty for having thought it, and thus the Look."

Abby smiled. "I think you might be onto something."

"Oh, you don't even know the half of it. Wait till I tell you about making the bed!"

...

to be continued


	10. Ch 10 CONCLUSIONS CONFIRMED

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 10 - CONCLUSIONS CONFIRMED

...

"I understand you let Jess sleep in your bed last night."

Becker stared across the canteen table at Abby. He assumed she'd received this information from Jess, which meant she must also know that he himself had slept on the couch. So why was the blonde girl now staring at him so intensely? And why had her tone seemed to suggest something untoward?

Connor must've sensed that implication as well for he instantly dropped his fork and glared at the soldier. "Oi - what? Look here, Becker! This is our Jess we're talking about - not just some pissed girl you picked up in a pub."

The soldier gritted his teeth, trying to control his temper. "I'm well-aware of that, Temple. Which is why I slept on the couch." Of course, technically he hadn't slept anywhere, since he'd never actually fallen asleep, but they didn't need to know that.

But Connor was clearly chagrined. "Oh." He picked up his fork again, mumbling, "Sorry," into his pasta.

Apparently, though, Abby wasn't finished. "And you gave her a toothbrush, yeah?"

The lack of sleep was finally catching up to Becker, putting him in a rotten mood, and this interrogation wasn't helping any. "So what's your point, Abigail?"

She shrugged innocently. "It just seems to me that, at this rate, you'll be giving her a key to your flat before long."

Now it was Becker's turn to drop his fork as he stared in horror at the blonde girl across the table. First Jess, and now Abby - since when did all the female staff become mindreaders? Because seriously, Becker had had that exact same thought last night when they'd arrived at his flat. He'd been so flustered by this passing notion - and the fact that Jess was being so insanely quiet - that he'd ended up dropping his own keys twice before finally getting the door open.

"So what are we discussing today?"

For once, Emily's voice was a welcome diversion.

"Oh, nothing," Abby answered nonchalantly as Emily and Matt took their seats. "Becker was just filling us in on all the fun we missed last night by leaving so early."

Becker was curious as to Abby's motives for the apparent subject change but was nevertheless grateful for the reprieve.

"Yes, you did miss quite a lot," Emily confirmed. "Matt is teaching me to play darts."

"You play darts, mate?" Connor asked Matt excitedly. "We'll have to play sometime - I'm rather brilliant at darts, if I do say so myself."

Abby frantically shook her head behind Connor, clearly disputing his claim, and the others couldn't help but laugh.

As the conversation moved from darts to billiards, Jess arrived and quietly took a seat next to Becker, whispering, "Last night's pub games?"

Becker nodded, his bad mood suddenly returning at the memory of his recent interrogation.

Without thinking, he snapped, "Why'd you have to go and tell Abby everything?"

Jess's eyes opened wide, like a deer in the headlights. "What do you mean?"

"You told her about the toothbrush," he accused.

"I'm sorry." Jess appeared truly contrite. "I didn't know that was meant to be a secret."

"It's not," he said, realising how stupid he'd just sounded. "I mean, it's just toothbrush, yeah? It doesn't mean anything. I just..." Becker gave a frustrated sigh. "Sorry. I'm in a rotten mood today - didn't get much sleep last night."

Instead of smoothing things over, his comment only seemed to intensify Jess's guilt. "Becker, I'm so sorry! I never should've taken the bed. I was just being...I wanted to see...it was stupid. I'm so sorry!"

Now he felt like a top-notch arse. After all, it wasn't her fault that he couldn't stop thinking about her. "Jess, it's okay. Really. I wanted you to have the bed. And the couch wasn't the problem - I doubt I would've slept any better in the bed."

"Don't say that, mate!"

Now it was Connor who was seemingly reading Becker's mind, since the soldier instantly regretted his words the moment they were out of his mouth. Thus he was actually thankful for Connor's outburst, hoping it would distract Jess, because the last thing Becker wanted was for her to have a chance to think about what he'd just said.

It was Emily, apparently, that had caused the outburst for she was now looking across the table confused. "Connor, I was simply observing that-"

"Not again!" Connor jumped in before she could repeat herself. "You'll jinx it for sure."

"Jinx what?' Jess asked, intrigued.

"I was merely commenting that it's been some time since we had an..."

She never finished her sentence because the klaxons suddenly sounded.

"See? You jinxed it!" Connor accused, sounding somewhat vindicated.

But Matt didn't seem interested in laying blame. "Let's go, yeah? I guess we'll eat on the way."

...

"What's our ETA, Jess?"

The field coordinator was thankful that she wasn't stuck in the 4x4 with Becker. From his tone over the comms, clearly his mood hadn't been improved by the long drive nor the traffic, not to mention the fact his lunch had been interrupted .

And her answer wasn't liable to help improve things either. "At least another hour, I'm afraid."

Of course, Jess had known the moment they'd run to the detector that they had a long afternoon ahead of them.

"It appears to be up near Birmingham somewhere," Jess had announced as she slid into her seat at the hub. As her fingers flew across the keyboards and the maps zoomed in, she clarified, "It looks like...Droitwich Spa."

"Droid-Witch Spa?" Connor asked before joking, "Is that where Threepio and Hermione go together for a relaxing weekend?"

Jess felt as well as heard Becker's frustrated sigh in her ear, which made it rather difficult to concentrate on the monitors, knowing he was so close.

"That's quite a distance, yeah?" Matt's voice helped return her focus away from Becker's nearness and back to the problem at hand. "We should probably send out two teams, yeah, just in case we need immediate back-up."

Jess nodded. "I'm on it."

But that had been almost two hours ago. And since then, Jess had been sitting at the hub, nearly by herself here in Ops, with nothing to do but obsess. Her thoughts were in such turmoil, it was hard to make much sense of them. She still couldn't even decide whether she should be mad at Abby or merely herself.

This morning, when she first woke up, she thought perhaps that her theory about Becker liking her was rubbish, that it simply wouldn't stand up to scrutiny in the sober light of day. But it had. And surprisingly well. Seriously, how else could one explain his frown of guilt when she'd blurted out that Freudian thing about him keeping her warm when she slept? It was such a relief to know that she hadn't been the only one dreaming of such things.

And she'd been so excited about the results of her study that she had to tell someone. What a relief it was when Abby seemed to confirm her conclusions, agreeing that she wasn't just seeing what she wanted to see.

But perhaps it'd been a bad idea to mention it to Abby. Jess had assumed that her friend would show a little more discretion - what on earth had she been thinking to say something to Becker? Didn't she know better than to poke the bear? Because a bear is just what he'd been all morning - grumpy and short-tempered. Of course it made sense if he hadn't gotten much sleep last night, but that's where the sense ended. Surely his lack of sleep was due to being forced to sleep on the couch, wasn't it? So why had he said he wouldn't have slept any better on the bed? What had he meant by that? What had kept him awake all night?

"So what are we dealing with?"

While Matt's words through the comms seemed to echo Jess's thoughts, she guessed he wasn't inquiring about Becker's insomnia.

"Umm...," Jess mumbled, stalling for time.

"Any creature reports yet?" Abby helpfully prompted.

Ah yes, the creatures. "It's hard to tell. The anomaly itself appears to be in the Coney Meadow Reedbed, but there aren't any CCTV views of the area. However, a jogger did tweet a photo of some kind of lizard he saw along the Droitwich Canal towpath. Not sure if it's anything, but I'll forward the photo to your mobile."

A moment later, Abby confirmed. "Oh, it's so cute!"

"But is it foreign to this time?" Emily asked.

"Yeah, it's an incursion all right. It's a _Petrolacosaurus_ - one of the oldest reptiles."

As Abby continued to give background on the creature to the team, Jess suddenly heard a ping from her own mobile. She glanced at the screen and realised Abby must've used the excuse of checking hers to send Jess a quick text.

**saw Look. theory sound. talk 2nite.**

Jess couldn't help but smile. If only she'd had a chance to talk to Abby before they'd left for the anomaly. But at least they could talk tonight when she got home.

Home. Jess suddenly realised she hadn't been home in over 55 hours. So why did the prospect of spending the evening with her flatmates suddenly leave her cold?

At least she'd get to see Becker at practice, she reminded herself. And hopefully he'd have completely forgotten about Abby's lunchtime grilling by then.

...

_to be continued_


	11. Ch 11 MEADOW MISCHIEF

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 11 - MEADOW MISCHIEF

...

Becker sometimes wished every incursion involved G-Rexes. Not that he liked seeing people get hurt, but G-Rexes had a lot of advantages. First off, he was allowed to shoot them, and in his present mood that would've been a welcome task. Also, they were so big, they were easy to find. In addition, the team usually only had to deal with one at a time.

None of this could be said about the bloody lizards that had chosen to come through this anomaly.

While technically they were carnivorous - Abby had given them the facts on the species during the drive - they were so small that they weren't likely to eat anything bigger than an insect. Most of the team therefore hadn't even bothered to carry their EMDs with them, which Becker felt was unnecessarily risky, since another, more aggressive creature could come through at any moment. But since Matt was one of those who'd entered the meadow unarmed, Becker couldn't really yell at the others.

The lizards' relatively small size - less than 40 centimeters from head to tail - also made them difficult to find. That meant the team was forced to wander about the meadow with their eyes to the ground, searching the grass for the annoying creatures. It was exactly what the team didn't need after spending these last few days at practice trying NOT to be constantly staring at their feet.

And because of the long distance the team had had to travel to get here, there'd been plenty of time for an entire lounge of lizards to invade. At last count they'd already returned almost twelve to their own time, and there were still plenty more roaming about the meadow. Of course, the fact that some of the reptiles had wandered back again after being sent home didn't help. To further prevent this, Becker called Emily over and placed her at the gateway to keep any lizards from returning - he figured that, at the very least, she could get in some goalkeeping practice this afternoon.

As Becker returned to the meadow after giving Emily her assignment, he suddenly heard Jess's voice through the comms. "Becker? I was just thinking about practice."

Okay, seriously, this mindreading really needed to stop, though at least he hadn't been thinking about Jess this time.

"I did the math," Jess continued, "and even if you wrapped everything up in the next few minutes, you'd never make it back here in time for practice. And most of the footy team is there with you anyway. So I was thinking I should just contact the others and cancel, but I wanted to check with you first."

Becker quickly glanced around the field and realised Jess was right - most of the footy team was here at the anomaly site. The only ones left behind were Lester, Ghani, and Scott.

"Definitely cancel."

Although Lester needed the practice, Ghani clearly didn't. More importantly, Becker didn't relish the idea of Jess being stuck alone with Scott - not that she'd ever fall for one of his cheesy pick-up lines, but Becker didn't want to have to kill the soldier if he even attempted to hit on Jess.

"Will do," she replied. "Thanks, Coach. Good luck with the...lizard things."

Becker laughed - it was nice to know that he wasn't the only one who got all the Latin taxonomy confused. "Thanks, Jess."

He suddenly saw one of the said lizard things crossing the towpath towards the canal. Becker ran after it and found where it'd been headed. In the reeds near the water was a small bird's nest, and several lizards were helping themselves to the brown speckled eggs inside. Although having been rudely interrupted from his own lunch, Becker felt no qualms about cutting short their dinner party.

"Hey!" he said, stomping his combat boot near the nest, causing the lizards to scatter. He trapped them betwixt his feet and started herding the lounge back towards the anomaly, feeling rather ridiculous.

Up ahead, he was surprised to see Emily dive and catch a lizard that was actually heading towards the anomaly. He realised they'd definitely made the right decision by making her the goalkeep, but he doubted her own decision-making skills at the moment.

"Emily! What are you doing?" he called to her, continuing to struggle towards the anomaly with the group of creatures scrambling around his ankles. "You're supposed to stop them coming back the other way, not when they're going through."

"Not when they're from this time," Emily insisted as she stood up, holding the reptile.

Becker was confused, but Abby wasn't. She hurried over to Emily and took the lizard from her hands. "You're right, Emily - this is a great crested newt, not a _Petrolacosaurus_. It most definitely does not belong in the Carboniferous. Good catch!"

"You mean there's two types of these bloody lizards?" Becker asked, thinking this was only getting worse.

"It's okay, Becker," Abby teased, gesturing to the ones at his feet. "All the ones you're 'dribbling' can go back."

"Good," Becker said, resisting the urge to simply kick them through. Instead, the two girls stepped aside, and with only a slight nudge the reptiles quickly scurried through the anomaly by themselves.

"But we are going to have to be careful about what we send through," Abby insisted. "These newts are a protected species - they're rare enough as it is, without us sending some of them through to the past."

Stupid wildlife advocates. "Fine," Becker said peevishly. "Then Abby, you stay here with Emily and make sure that the little darlings are kept safe."

He turned and stomped back to the meadow in search of the rest of the annoying creatures. He wanted this incursion to be over soon, even though that meant several more hours in the car. And it wasn't like he had anything dire to get back to - practice was cancelled, which meant he'd simply be going home to an empty flat.

"Hey, Coach - I mean Captain," O'Rourke quickly corrected as he gestured Becker over towards a fallen tree. "I just saw a bunch of the creatures scurry down in here - I think it's an otter's den."

Becker sighed with frustration and hurried over to help O'Rourke extract the lizards, though he was fairly certain his current bad mood had more to do with the fact that he wouldn't be seeing Jess at practice this evening than the task he had ahead of him.

...

Neela was ecstatic when she got the news.

"You needn't sound quite so pleased," Jess teased.

"Oh no, it's not that," Neela quickly explained. "Tonight's my boyfriend's birthday, and originally I'd planned to cook dinner for him, but when this whole footy thing came up, I had to cancel. Luckily he understood, since he plays himself, but I still felt bad. But if practice is cancelled, I can do it after all. Oh, and if I leave now, I can stop at the grocer's and pick up everything - you have perfect timing, Jess."

"Glad I could help. Have fun tonight."

Jess felt a pang of jealousy as she rung off. She wished she had a boyfriend to cook birthday dinners for...even though she didn't really know how to cook!

Scott was next on her list.

"Cancelled?" he repeated.

"Yes, most of the footy team's out on a call."

"But you're not," he pointed out. "Maybe you and I could get together for a little...one on one. What do you say?"

"What's that, Becker?" Jess quickly improvised. "Oh yes, I'll send the coordinates through right away. Sorry, Scott - what were you saying?"

But Scott wasn't a complete idiot. "Never mind. See you tomorrow, Parker."

Jess couldn't help but smile as she rung off. She was tempted to mention it to Becker when he got back, but Scott would probably need both his legs for the match so perhaps she better not.

Now that Neela and Scott were taken care of, Jess had only Lester left to deal with, but she had something different in mind for him. She got up from her chair and headed for his office. Knocking on the door, she peaked her head around.

"Yes, what is it, Jess? Everything all right at the anomaly?"

"Oh yes, everything's fine. A lot of small lizard things, so it's taking awhile to sort them all out. But everyone's safe."

"Good, good," Lester mumbled.

"So...what are your plans for this afternoon?"

Lester looked up from his papers. "You tell me - whatever you and that bloody coach of yours have got planned, I suppose."

Jess laughed. "I meant here at work. Do you have any meetings scheduled? Any conference calls?"

"No, my slate's clean," he said, sitting back in his chair and crossing his hands in his lap. "So what did you have in mind, Ms. Parker?"

"Well," Jess began, "I thought perhaps you and I could do some footy practice here at the ARC. The others won't be back in time for a real practice, but if the two of us are stuck here anyway, I figure we might as well kick the ball about for a bit. What do you say?"

Lester frowned. "I say, don't you have a job, Parker? Coordinating the team whilst they're out in the field? Ring any bells?"

"There's no CCTV coverage of the reedbed, so there's not much I can do besides managing the comms," she explained, pointing to her earpiece. "I'm practically all alone in Ops, since we sent out two teams due to the distance. And," she added, knowing how much trouble he'd gotten into last night, "if we practice now, you can get home to your wife nice and early this evening."

Jess thought she saw a slight smile reach his eyes, though his frown remained intact.

"But isn't it a bad idea to be kicking a ball around inside, with all this expensive equipment and such? I seem to remember my mum insisting 'no ball in the house'."

"We'll be careful," Jess insisted, adding with a smile, "And I promise not to tell your mum!"

...

to be continued


	12. Ch 12 MINISTERIAL MACHINATIONS

Bend It Like Becker

...

Author's Note: I just wanted to let everyone know I'm leaving on holiday to New Zealand for a fortnight. Because I'm actually ahead in writing the story, I'm hoping that I'll be able to continue to post chapters about twice a week. However, I'm not sure what our internet connections will be like over there (and there will be three of us sharing a single laptop), so I'm not making any promises. However, I will do my best to continue to post regularly (and I'm hoping to get a lot written on the twelve-hour flight I have ahead of me – uggh!) Thanks so much for all the reviews – I love hearing from readers what things they enjoy!

...

Chapter 12 - MINISTERIAL MACHINATIONS

...

"Becker?" Jess's voice came through the comms. "Are the teams headed back now?"

"Yeah, we got all the lizards-"

"_Petrolacosaurus_," Connor corrected from the back seat.

Becker rolled his eyes and continued, "...LIZARDS back through and the anomaly closed. I'm just about to turn onto the M40 now."

"Oh. Good."

Although her words betrayed nothing, Becker could sense something off in her voice, which put him instantly on edge, worrying about her.

"What is it, Jess? Did something happen?"

"Jess? Is everything okay?" Matt, who was sat in the passenger seat, chimed in on the comms.

Becker sighed. It was hard to have a private conversation in a car filled with people listening in.

"Yes, Matt - nothing to worry about. Everything's fine...now."

Becker didn't like the sound of that. "Jess?" he prompted.

He heard Jess give a little sigh before saying, "Here - I'm going to patch myself through to the car." A split second later her voice emerged from the car speakers, "How's that? Can everyone hear me?"

"Yes, we can hear you," Emily replied from the backseat.

"Hi, Jess!" Connor called out. "You gonna keep us entertained on the long

ride home?"

"I'm not sure 'entertain' is quite the word, but I thought I'd fill you in on

Lester's and my little...adventure this afternoon."

"What happened, Jess?" Abby asked. "You okay?"

"Yes, I'm okay. We're okay. It's okay."

Becker could hear how flustered Jess seemed, so he calmly prompted, "Start at the beginning, Jess."

"Right. So, as we discussed, I went ahead and cancelled practice this

afternoon."

"Yes!" Connor cheered.

Becker rolled his eyes. "Go on, Jess."

"But I knew that both Lester and I could use the practice. And there was hardly anyone here in the ARC because of the two teams being out in the field. So I simply thought..."

"You didn't!" Abby said.

"Well, it wasn't like I was doing you all any good, since I couldn't watch your backs without CCTV coverage. And no one was about. So we figured it wouldn't hurt to kick the ball around a little."

"What'd you break, Jess?" Matt asked.

"Is all my equipment okay? You didn't go into my lab, didja?"

"No, Connor, we were careful - no instruments were harmed, I promise."

"What about Lester?" Abby asked. "He's not injured, is he?"

"No, Lester's fine. As am I," she quickly added, answering Becker's question

before he could ask it. "Nothing got hurt."

Emily asked, "So what happened?"

"Well, Lester was dribbling the ball down the hallway - you see, we tried to stick to the corridors so we wouldn't damage anything - and I was just about to steal the ball from him, but he dodged and turned the corner right by his office...and ran smack into the Minister."

Becker and the others gasped.

"What'dja do?" Connor asked.

"I ran smack into Lester, of course - I was right on his heels and simply couldn't stop in time."

"That cannot be good," Emily observed.

"Did he sack you?" Becker asked, suddenly worried - maybe that's why Jess had called him in the first place.

"More to the point, did he sack Lester?" Abby asked.

"Don't tell us he shut down the entire ARC operation?" Connor wailed

melodramatically.

"No, it's fine. Everything's fine. No one got sacked or shut down or

anything."

As the car breathed a collective sigh of relief, Abby asked, "So what did the Minister say?"

"Nothing at first, as we'd knocked the wind out of him. And Lester was so shocked by it all, he was simply standing there, frozen in place with his mouth gaping open. So naturally it was up to me to save the day."

Becker couldn't help but smile at Jess's casual self-assurance - it was one of the things he enjoyed so much about her.

"What did you say?" Emily asked.

"Well, I apologised, naturally, and explained how we had two teams out in the field, which meant we'd had to cancel practice, but how Lester and I had wanted to work on our dribbling skills, and how we thought it wouldn't hurt to practice in the corridors because it was the end of the day so no one was about, and we certainly hadn't been expecting him, and so on from there. I don't rightly remember all I said because I was naturally a bit flustered at the time."

Becker couldn't help but smile as he imagined a very flushed Jess frantically trying to cover for Lester. And while Becker was certain that she'd probably been clad in her practice clothes at the time, he now realised that, for some reason, he'd been picturing her during the entire story in her bright yellow frock!

"But the Minister seemed placated," Jess continued. "No, more than that,

he seemed downright pleased."

"Pleased?" Emily asked, clearly not believing. "That you were playing

football in the ARC?"

"He was delighted that we're taking this whole match thing so seriously. He'd just happened to be in the neighborhood and simply decided to drop by to check in on Lester and see if he'd done anything yet about putting together a team, so when he found out that not only did we have a team but we'd already had two practices, he was thrilled."

Becker frowned - he wasn't sure how happy the Minister would've been if he'd actually seen their practices. Or if he'd learnt that half of yesterday's practice had been at the pub. But it was good to know that the Minister's expectations for them were so low. And at least Jess hadn't been sacked for playing ball in the corridors - Becker couldn't imagine going to work everyday without her there.

Hell, he was even starting to find it difficult to imagine his flat without her around.

...

As soon as they got home that evening, Abby plopped herself down on the couch and demanded, "Okay, Jess - spill! I want to hear everything."

"Yeah," Connor agreed. "We want details. What all did the Minister say?"

"The Minister?" Abby frowned at him. "We're not talking about the Minister, Connor. We're talking about the fact that Becker likes Jess."

"Well, of course Becker likes Jess, Abby. Everyone likes Jess. What's not to like?" When his fiance gave him a look, he finally caught on. "Oh! You mean Becker LIKES Jess. That's brilliant! When did this happen?"

Jess shrugged. She didn't really want to talk about it anymore, especially not to him. Abby had caused enough trouble as it was, and she didn't relish the idea of Connor sticking his foot in it.

But Abby must not have sensed Jess's trepidation for she blurted out, "Jess has been doing some experiments."

Jess wished Abby hadn't said anything. She was starting to feel extremely guilty about the whole thing, especially the part about making him sleep on the couch just so she could watch his reaction.

And Connor certainly looked horrified.

"Don't tell me you've been ransacking his drawers while he sleeps. I don't know what you found, but I've just got to say, in Becker's defense, that a man should not be held liable for what he keeps in his sock drawer."

Abby eyed Connor suspiciously. "Why? What do YOU keep in your sock drawer?"

"Nothing," he answered before adding a mumbled, "...anymore." He quickly added, "So anyway, Jess, what did you find?"

"I didn't find anything!" Jess insisted. "Why would you even think I'd do

something like that?"

Connor looked at Abby. "Didn't you tell me she rifled through Becker's locker at work?"

"That was well over a year ago!" Wasn't she ever going to live that down?

"And besides, Becker and I are good friends now. I wouldn't abuse his trust like that."

No, but she'd abuse his chivalrous nature.

"So what are these experiments you've been doing?" Connor asked right as Jess's mobile went off.

She quickly glanced at the screen and couldn't help but smile.

"It's Becker," she heard Abby whisper to her fiance.

Jess rolled her eyes and picked up, trying to ignore the smug looks of her flatmates. "Hey, Becker. What's up?"

"Sorry to bug you. I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

"No, not at all." Of course he was, but she was thankful for it. "What's up?"

"I...uh...just got off the phone with Lester."

Jess was confused. "Why'd you ring Lester?"

"I didn't. He rung me."

This was even more surprising. "Whatever for?"

"It seems he'd just gotten off the phone with the Minister."

"The Minister?"

"Uh oh, we're in trouble," Connor mumbled before Abby shushed him.

"It seems," Becker explained, "that the Minister was so impressed with the

ARC team's initiative with this whole football business that he's now placed an extensive wager on the game."

"What?" Jess couldn't believe it. "But we're terrible. Didn't he notice what a rot player Lester is, not to mention me?"

"Apparently not."

"Oh, we're so dead!" Abby and Connor each leaned in curiously, giving her worried looks, but she waved them off. "What are we going to do?"

Jess could practically feel Becker's shrug over the phone. "We've just got to give it our best, I guess. And starting tomorrow we'll need to step up the practices a bit - we've barely a week left."

"Do you want me to come over tonight to go over ideas?"

Abby and Connor shared a look and then both smiled knowingly at Jess, and she could feel her face starting to turn red. She hadn't meant anything by her invitation, but she realised that a part of her did miss seeing him.

Since he hadn't answered yet, she amended, "Though it is rather late. Perhaps we could just discuss strategies tomorrow at lunch?"

"Yeah. We could do that."

Was it her imagination, or did he sound almost disappointed? No, she was definitely projecting, she decided, since she herself would've loved to spend the evening alone with him once again. She summoned up some enthusiasm to say, "Brilliant. I'll do some more research tonight, perhaps find some drills the players can do by themselves over the weekend."

Connor snickered and stage-whispered to Abby, "I can imagine what drills Becker might do by himself."

Jess prayed that Becker couldn't hear the peanut gallery in the background.

"Sounds like a plan, Jess. See you tomorrow."

"All right. Sleep well."

As she rung off, she noticed Abby and Connor looking at her with similar amused expressions.

"What?" she asked self-consciously.

"'_Sleep well_'," Abby mocked in a high voice.

Jess knew she'd brought this on herself - this was simply karma for blabbing to Abby this morning. She grabbed her laptop and headed for the stairs to her bedroom. "I...uh...have to go do some research."

"Oh, is that what they're calling it these days?" Connor teased, and Jess could still hear their laughter as she shut her bedroom door.

...


	13. Ch 13 WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 13 - WHAT FRIENDS ARE FOR

...

Becker sighed in frustration. "I just wish we could hold practice this weekend." It was ridiculous to try to put a team together with only nine practices. Correction: eight, after last night's cancellation. At least Jess and Lester had gotten in some dribbling, although that's the reason why they were in this bloody mess with the Minister in the first place. Becker didn't even want to think about what the Minister would do when he lost his wager, though he imagined they'd all have a lot more free time.

"I wish we could practice, too, but we can't," Jess said. "Everyone already has plans."

Everyone except Becker, that is, which was part of why he was so grumpy. He really didn't need more time to sit around and think about Jess - he'd done quite enough of that last night. He really needed to stop obsessing about her, but lately she was all he could focus on, thanks to this bloody match. Becker almost wished he'd been the one to run into the Minister yesterday, for he would've enjoyed giving the man a piece of his mind.

"But I think giving everyone these drills that they can practice on their own will be good," Jess continued. "And starting Monday, we...can...do..." Jess trailed off, a frown on her face. Becker realised her gaze was focussed on something behind him, and he turned to see what was causing her such consternation. Abby and Connor had just entered the canteen, but instead of joining them at their table, they had chosen to sit by themselves.

Becker didn't much care - he and Jess had lots to discuss, and he could do without Connor's smart-aleck comments. But turning back to Jess, he noticed that she seemed a bit flustered.

"I, uh, guess that they've gotten a bit used to having the flat to themselves these past few nights, but since I was home last night, perhaps they, um, want some time alone today."

Becker nodded and took a bite of his apple. "But do you think they'll actually do them?" he asked, his mind still on the drills.

Jess, however, had seemed to have lost the thread of the conversation. "What?"

"The drills," Becker explained. "Do you think the players will actually do the drills if we give them homework over the weekend?"

Jess shrugged. "Possibly. I mean, if they knew how serious the situation was, they would definitely...want...to..."

Once again she trailed off, frowning. Becker turned again, this time to see Emily sitting down with Abby and Connor. The couple was leaning across the table conspiratorially, obviously telling her something. The former Victorian suddenly glanced over at Becker and Jess and then turned away with a smile.

"Of course," Jess continued, suddenly sounding cross, "if we wanted the team to know about the Minister's wager, all we'd need to do is apparently tell my flatmates, and it'd be all over the ARC in a matter of minutes."

Becker wasn't quite sure why Jess's knickers were in a twist, but he somehow got the feeling he didn't really want to know, so he turned back to her and continued, "Perhaps we should give them some sort of motivation to do the drills. Like maybe, I don't know, have a reward? Or some sort of contest for-"

"Come on!" Jess interrupted, clearly peeved. It took Becker a moment to realise she hadn't been commenting on his suggestion but was instead focussed once again on the table behind them. He turned around, annoyed that he'd sat with his back to the door in the first place, and saw that Matt was now sitting next to Emily, engaged in a confidential conversation with the others. Suddenly all four of them turned to look at Jess and Becker in unison and then quickly looked away, resuming their huddled discussion.

But their strange behaviour is not what had caught Becker's attention. Instead, he got to his feet and hurried across the canteen to the team leader, asking, "Matt, did you just come in?"

"Yeah, I had to run an errand. Why?"

Becker gestured to Matt's wet hair. "Please don't tell me it's raining out."

He nodded. "Like cats and dogs, I'm afraid, mate."

"Dammit!"

"What is it?" Jess asked, her high heels clicking on the linoleum as she scurried over.

"It's raining," Becker snapped, stomping back to his seat. This was the last thing they needed - another cancellation. They desperately needed to run through their drills, but Becker couldn't risk having someone fall and injure themselves on the wet grass. Dammit dammit dammit! Why did this have to happen today? Why not tomorrow, when everyone else's plans could've been rained out instead?

"It's going to be okay," Jess said, taking her seat across from him once again. "We'll just have everyone over to my flat. I still have all those DVDs from the library. We wanted to start focussing more on game strategy anyway, right? So we'll just break out the Legends of Football and watch a few matches. We can learn a lot by watching, especially with Neela to help point things out. It'll be fine."

Becker sighed. "It's not the same as actually practicing," he grumbled.

"No, but it's better than nothing, yeah?"

Becker nodded reluctantly. Since nothing seemed to be going to plan, he couldn't help but wonder what more could go wrong?

No, he daren't think that - as Connor would be quick to point out, that was a surefire way to jinx it!

...

If Jess thought lunch had been bad, the evening was more like her worst nightmare!

It hadn't started out so bad. She left work early so she could make sure her flat was up for having company. She pushed the couch back a bit, moved over assorted chairs around the telly, and tossed all the throw pillows onto the floor so there'd be plenty of places for everyone to sit. She then began to tidy up the kitchen and put the kettle on so it'd be hot when the others got there. She threw some crisps in a bowl, put some chocolates (not the good stuff, of course) on a plate, and washed off some strawberries to snack on. Connor and Abby hadn't bothered to do the dishes while she was off at Becker's, so she quickly washed them. She was just rinsing the last glass when the first knock came.

It was Becker. He still seemed annoyed at the rain but was clearly trying to make the best of things.

"The others will be here shortly," he said, shaking the rain out of his hair, which still somehow managed to look perfect. "Lester even agreed to stop by, though he has some function he must attend later so he'll be leaving early."

Jess listened to Becker's comments as she continued to dart about, rushing upstairs to the loo to make sure fresh towels were on the racks before hurrying back down to straighten up the books on the coffee table.

"Jess, stop stressing - everything looks fine," he insisted. "Remember, this isn't a dinner party, it's a...bloody football practice. Just relax."

Ironically, that was the most relaxed she'd been all night. Because immediately afterwards, Connor and Abby had returned home, and the nightmare had begun.

Jess was just trying to be a good hostess, to make sure that everyone was comfortable and happy. Yet every time she offered to top off Becker's tea or handed him the crisps or even LOOKED at him, it was as if she were an animal in a zoo performing some sort of mating ritual for everyone else's amusement. When Becker finally insisted that she sit down, scooting over to make room next to him on the couch, she thought she was going to die of mortification. Didn't they see how awkward they were making things? She'd never seen so much wink-wink-nudge-nudge between her friends before, and they weren't exactly being subtle about it. If Becker ever did have feelings for her, they were surely gone by now after all this scrutiny.

At least the "practice" went well, even if she didn't learn a thing herself due to her preoccupation. Neela helpfully pointed out how the players on the telly were working together, how their passes were a perfect demonstration of the drills they'd been practicing, etc., so that everyone could see how their newfound skills would fit into the actual gameplay. It was a bit crowded as they all circled round the telly, but everyone could see and seemed to be enjoying themselves. It wasn't as useful as a real practice would've been, but it was definitely better than cancelling it all together.

After the first match, about half the players begged off, having other plans for their Friday night.

As everyone stood and started collecting their things, Jess offered, "Anyone who wants to stay longer is welcome." She tried to ignore the suggestive smile Abby was giving her as she continued, "We, uh, have lots more footy we can watch. And we can order takeaway - there's a brilliant Chinese place not far from here."

"How are their prawn crackers?" Becker asked with a smile.

"You tell me," she smiled back. "You've had them before - it's the place I always order from."

Becker nodded and sat back down. "Then I'm in."

Under ordinary circumstances, Jess would've been thrilled to have more time to spend with Becker. However, the eager anticipation in the room was palpable, making her almost wish that Becker, too, had other plans for the evening just so she didn't have to deal with the continued insinuations of their friends.

"I'd like to stay as well," Emily said, turning to Matt, "if that's amenable."

Matt shrugged. "Fine with me."

Emily smiled and turned back towards the others. "I'm quite enjoying watching the matches - the goalkeeper for The Blues is much better than the Manchester United one, isn't he?"

"That's sacrilege, that is," O'Rourke called back over his shoulder as he headed for the door with the other soldiers.

Jess let them out and then returned to the living room to take stock of who'd stayed behind. It was just as she'd feared: only her "friends" - the ones who'd been tormenting her all evening - had remained behind.

So despite the tasty food and the interesting match on the telly, Jess simply couldn't relax. When, in the middle of the third match, Becker's arm casually dropped onto her shoulder, she practically jumped out of her skin. While it was just a friendly gesture, she could practically feel all eyes in the room upon them, making it mean far more than it should. Becker seemed to sense her discomfort, which only made him try harder to help her relax. His hand began to tenderly stroke her upper arm, a gesture that, under the circumstances, only made her tense up further. He must've noticed, for his hand moved up to her shoulder and gently began to rub it.

Good God, could it get any worse?

"Jess, your shoulders are in knots," he exclaimed worriedly. "Here, sit on the floor and I'll give you a back rub."

Yes, apparently it could. Everyone in the room turned to the couple and gave them knowing smiles, and it was clear to Jess that a backrub would never work for what ailed her.

"No, I'm fine," Jess said, feeling her face burn with embarrassment, wishing he'd just drop the subject so she could go back to pretending to watch the game.

But Becker was insistent. "Don't be silly, Jess. C'mon. Your muscles are so tight, you obviously need-"

"No, really," Jess insisted, trying to scoot away from him before he made things even worse. "I'm fine. I don't need you to-"

"We should probably be going," Matt said, standing up suddenly. "It's getting late, yeah?"

"But Matt, we're in the middle of a match," Emily insisted, gesturing to the telly.

Matt shot her a look, which included a subtle nod towards Jess & Becker, and Emily was instantly on her feet.

"Oh yes, we should be going," she said. "Thank you for a lovely evening, Jess."

"We'll, uh, simply show ourselves out," Matt said, grabbing up their coats and heading for the door before Jess could even get up.

Jess wondered if she should be documenting all this for her defense at the future manslaughter hearing.

Thanks to their not-so-subtle exit, Becker, too, glanced at his watch. "It is getting late," he observed.

"Oh, Becker, there's no need for you to leave," Abby said. "It's a Friday night. Stay as long as you'd like. Connor and I were...just going to bed."

"We were?" At Abby's look, he corrected, "Oh right, we were. Are. Going now. See us going? G'night, then. I guess we'll...see you two lovebirds in the morning."

Really, why didn't the ground just open up and swallow her - it'd be so much kinder!

Luckily Becker hadn't seemed to hear the comment, muffled as it was by Abby shoving Connor up the stairs. Instead, he merely stated, "I really should be going."

"Absolutely!" Jess said, jumping to her feet, eager for him to leave so she could get on with the killing of her flatmates.

He must've noticed her eagerness for he frowned.

"Not that I'm trying to get rid of you or anything! I'm sure you'd just like to get home and get some sleep, yeah?" Jess said, hoping he wouldn't feel like she was pushing him out the door, even though that was exactly what she was doing. "It's been a...busy week, and I'm sure you have lots planned for the weekend."

He frowned again, and this time she wasn't sure what she'd said wrong.

"But practice went well, yeah?" she continued. "People seemed to learn quite a bit from watching the matches. And hopefully we can start applying all that next week."

Becker nodded. "I can't believe it's only a week away. We simply don't have enough time."

"Well, we could always take the team through an anomaly somewhere - that could give us a couple million years to practice before the game...which just might be enough time for us to get good."

Becker laughed. "I don't think we're quite that desperate."

"Not yet anyway, yeah?" Jess teased as she walked him to the door. "Well, g'night then."

He stood at the door a moment, a frown upon his face, as if he were contemplating saying something, before he simply offered, "Goodnight, Jess."

After closing the door behind him, she sprinted up the stairs, ready to have a word or two with her flatmates. However, the door to their bedroom was closed and she didn't feel like bursting in on them - after all their prurient interest this evening, who knew what the two of them might be up to, and she'd had quite enough humiliation tonight. She sighed, surveying the living room, and decided she'd wait to tidy up till tomorrow - it wasn't like she had any other plans for the weekend. She went into her room, changed into her pyjamas, and was just heading for the loo when she thought she heard a quiet knock on the door. She walked down the stairs and peered through the peep hole.

"Becker!" she exclaimed as she opened the door to him. "What is it?"

He gave a frustrated sigh before saying simply, "My car won't start."

...

to be continued


	14. Ch 14 UNTIDY & UNCOMFORTABLE

Bend It Like Becker

...

Author's note: No, Matt was not responsible, though I considered it when first writing this! However, since Becker is presumably good with cars (see episode 5.6), anything Matt could've done to jimmy his car would've been something Becker probably could've easily fixed, and I wanted Becker to have to stay over! Also, I'm a big believer in misunderstandings - I've had both comic and tragic misunderstandings in my real life, and I think they happen all the time, especially when people aren't saying what they really feel...and thus this chapter! Hope you enjoy it!

...

Chapter 14 – UNTIDY & UNCOMFORTABLE

...

For the second time in three nights, Becker was attempting to fall asleep on a couch with thoughts of Jess on his mind. Only this time it was Jess's couch, and his thoughts were only focussed on her well-being.

Frankly, he never would've believed it if he hadn't seen it with his own eyes. After all, they seemed to get along so well at work, Becker never would've suspected a thing. But tonight had made it perfectly clear that Jess's living situation was no longer tolerable.

When Abby and Connor had first come back from the Cretaceous, Becker had thought Jess's offer to let them stay with her, while incredibly sweet, was not the sanest move. In the first place, she didn't even know them, except for what she'd read in their files. Secondly, she wasn't aware that they were a "couple", per se, as their relationship had developed whilst they'd been away, and becoming the third wheel is almost inevitable when there's a couple involved. And thirdly, it was always a bad idea to live with your coworkers - the boundaries between work and home were liable to blur, causing stress in both quarters.

Yet amazingly the arrangement had seemed to work out incredibly well. The three got along remarkably, and Jess's gregarious nature obviously enjoyed having the company around. That is, until now.

Becker didn't know what had caused the change, but clearly Jess no longer felt comfortable here. Here! In her own flat! And that simply wasn't right.

So how had this happened? And why had she allowed it to get so bad? Why had she let them bully her out of her own home?

What was it she'd said at lunch today? Something about how Abby and Connor had gotten used to having the place to themselves this week and wanted more time alone? That was all well and good, but if they wanted to be alone, they should be busy finding their own place to live, not making Jess feel so unwelcome that she didn't even want to come home at night.

It was clear now why she'd been so eager to spend her evenings with him. She could relax when she was at his flat, something she couldn't do in her own home. The Jess who'd been wound so tightly this evening was a far cry from the girl who'd dozed off on his couch two nights in a row. And that simply would not do. Jess was too wonderful a person to be made so miserable by people who called themselves her friends.

She needed to tell them. She needed to let them know that they must find a place of their own, that they could no longer stay. But he knew she'd never confront them. She wouldn't want to upset them, wouldn't want them to feel like they weren't welcome. Jess was such a friendly, giving person, she'd rather suffer in silence than make anyone else upset.

So perhaps Becker could do it for her. He'd have no qualms telling Abby and Connor that they'd overstayed their welcome, that they had no right to make Jess so unhappy. It didn't mean that Jess no longer wanted to be their friend, but being friends and living together were two completely different things! And he was certain that he could make them see that their friendship would only grow stronger if they weren't always in each other's pockets day in and day out.

He'd almost said something to Jess about it when he'd left tonight, almost offered to act as bouncer, to kick them out so that she wouldn't have to. But it'd been late, and he reckoned that sort of conversation was best saved for the light of day, so he'd said nothing. But perhaps he would mention it in the morning, because he simply couldn't stand to see Jess so tense.

If he ever made it to morning. Jess's couch was ten times more uncomfortable than his, and he was certain he'd never catch any sleep on it. Finally he gave in and decided to move onto the floor, an apparently wise decision because within a matter of minutes he was fast asleep.

"...the coffee on."

The voice filtering through his sleep-addled brain was the only warning he got, but it was better than nothing. Before his eyes could even open, he felt something crash into his legs. The object, now off-balance, wobbled unsteadily and began to fall. Becker sensed this and, on instinct, rolled onto his side. It was a good evasive manoeuvre, for the body came crashing down atop him, its knee landing hard where only a moment before his groin had been.

"Unh!" Abby grunted as her face landed on Becker's shoulder.

"Abby?" he asked groggily. "You okay?"

"Becker?" Abby asked, surprised, as she sat back on her knee and got a good look at him through the dim morning light.

The soldier rolled onto his back and took her in as well. She was clothed in only her vest and knickers, a far cry from the stylish, colour-coordinated pyjamas Jess had worn to bed.

"What are you doing down here?" Abby asked, obviously confused by his presence. "And why are you on the floor?"

"Have you tried sleeping on that couch?" he replied through a yawn. A smile started to spread across her face, and it was clear that she had. He then explained further, "And my car wouldn't start."

"Oh?" Abby said with a suspicious smile, almost as if she doubted his sincerity. "Uh-huh." She stood and rubbed the knee she'd landed on.

"You gonna be okay?" Becker asked, the full implications of an injury becoming clear. "Because the team desperately needs you. You can't get hurt between now and Saturday next - that's an order."

Abby laughed. "Whatever you say, Coach," she teased, giving him a friendly kick where he still lay on the floor.

"Abby, why don't I smell coffee yet?" Connor asked, stretching, as he stumbled out wearing only his boxer shorts. He stopped, however, when he saw his mostly unclothed fiance standing with her feet straddling Becker. "What's...going on?"

"Becker's car didn't start."

"Oh," Connor mumbled before the full meaning of it hit and he gave an understanding, "OH!" He then looked confused, asking, "But then why are you down here?"

Jess's gasp let Becker know she was awake as well. As she appeared around the corner, he noticed she was instantly tense around her flatmates - he had to help remedy that situation!

"Are you okay?" Jess asked, hurrying over in her adorable pyjamas, which seemed specifically designed to show off her legs. "I thought I heard someone fall."

"That was me," Abby said. "I, uh, tripped over him. Didn't see him there - thought he was just another throw pillow."

Jess looked at the pillows still scattered about on the floor and frowned. "I'm sorry. I should've cleaned up last night but I...and then Becker came back and..." She trailed off, looking flustered. She then turned to Becker, apologising, "Sorry about the couch - I know it's terribly uncomfortable."

Terribly uncomfortable is exactly how Jess looked at present.

"I was fine, Jess. Really. I slept soundly on the floor. Thanks for letting me stay."

"Any time, mate," Connor said cheerily.

Becker saw Jess frown again, and the soldier sighed. Couldn't Connor see it wasn't kosher to blithely invite others to stay at Jess's flat? Clearly things had gotten completely out of control.

"Would you, um, like some breakfast?" Jess asked awkwardly. "I could make you some eggs or something."

"You never cook breakfast for us!" Connor complained.

That was the last straw. Jess wasn't their maid, to merely clean and cook for them. Becker hopped to his feet, tossing the blankets on the couch as he said, "No, let me get you out of here, Jess. I'll take you to breakfast."

"You'll TAKE her?" Abby asked with a smug smile. "But I thought you said your car wouldn't start."

"Dammit," he muttered under his breath, having forgotten the entire reason he was still here.

"I can drive," Jess offered. "Or we could walk - there's a cafe nearby. And it's a lovely day out - the rain's stopped."

Of course it has, Becker thought, annoyed. But then he realised that yesterday's rain had been a godsend - if not for practice being here last night, he never would've known just how bad things had gotten for Jess.

"Yes, a walk would be nice."

Jess smiled. "I'll go get dressed then." She shot a nervous look at her two flatmates before disappearing back up the stairs.

"Breakfast with Jess, huh?" Connor commented.

"That's what - the third time this week?" Abby asked pointedly.

Becker sighed. Could they make it any clearer that they didn't want Jess around?

This situation was simply intolerable, and Becker was determined to help rescue Jess from it.

...

The moment they stepped safely onto the pavement, Jess breathed a sigh of relief. They'd managed to escape the flat relatively unscathed, and thankfully Becker had seemed oblivious to her flatmates' final comments about not expecting her home for dinner. She knew they were only teasing because they were eager to see her and Becker get together, but it still made things bloody uncomfortable.

However, now that she and Becker were alone and no longer under such scrutiny, Jess could relax and enjoy spending time with him. She smiled to herself and stole a quick glance at him as he strode in silence beside her, surprised to find him staring down at her, a strange look of concern and anger on his face.

Flustered, she blurted out, "It's a lovely morning, isn't it? I love the way everything smells after a good rain - so fresh and clean. It's a pity Abby and Connor won't be able to enjoy it, since they'll be stuck inside all day at the Pet Show."

"Pet Show?"

Jess nodded, surprised that Abby hadn't already bent his ear about it. "It's a yearly event, with dogs and cats and, of course, reptiles, which is why Abby always goes. And Connor, he simply goes so he can spend time with Abby, though he's probably also building up points for when she tries to beg off going to the Doctor Who convention with him." Jess gave a wistful sigh, thinking how nice it'd be to have a guy willing to make similar sacrifices for her. "So what about you?" she asked. "What're you up to this weekend? I hope your car troubles don't keep you from your plans."

Becker shook his head. "I've got no plans."

"Well, that's good," Jess said, hoping perhaps they could spend some time together that didn't involve being watched like anthropological specimen by her flatmates. However, realising how it must've sounded, she quickly clarified, "I mean, at least you're not missing out on anything, yeah? So what's wrong with it anyway? Your car, I mean. Any idea?"

Becker shrugged. "Not sure. It could be a bunch of things. Maybe the starter."

Jess nodded, even though she knew absolutely nothing about cars. "Well, if you need any help - like driving you 'round to get parts or giving you a lift home from the garage or whatever - I'm happy to be at your service."

Becker eyed her warily. "Surely you have better things to do."

Jess laughed. "Not really. My only plans for today were to stay home and tidy up a bit - not exactly the most thrilling life, is it?"

"You're not their maid, you know!"

Becker's outburst was so sudden and so heated that Jess stopped in her tracks, staring aghast at him.

"They're your houseguests," he continued angrily. "If anything, they should be the ones cleaning up, not you."

"Abby and Connor?" Jess asked, thoroughly confused by what he was saying. After all, Abby and Connor were her flatmates, not houseguests. And she was the one who'd invited over the team last night and tossed all the pillows on the floor - certainly it was her task to tidy up, not theirs. So why did Becker seem so upset?

But whatever his reasons, he was clearly furious with them. "You need to talk to them, Jess," he stated firmly. "They need to know that the way they treated you last night was not okay. You should make it clear...they need to understand that...being friends and living together are two very different things."

Oh my God, so he hadn't been oblivious to their teasing and innuendoes - no wonder he seemed so cross! It turned out he'd recognized their hints about the two of them getting together after all, yet he only wanted to be her friend - apparently she'd been misreading all his signals! And because he only had friendship in mind, he obviously didn't appreciate being pressured into something more by their mates.

And Jess realised it was all her fault. She never should've told Abby anything in the first place, never should've mentioned the Look. But more importantly, she should've put her foot down firmly when the rumours started; it was one thing to share with Connor but quite another to go telling all their friends, and Jess should've put a stop to it. But she hadn't, and now their comments had ruined everything.

"I'm so sorry," she said, overcome with guilt. "I never should've let it go so far."

"Dammit, Jessica! You shouldn't be the one apologising! They're the ones who've done this, who've put you in this awkward position." He paused to take a calming breath and then continued more gently, "Look. I know it's difficult. Perhaps it'd be easier if I talked to-?"

"No! No, please don't!" That was the last thing she wanted. It was mortifying enough that she'd have to tell them all she'd been mistaken, that in fact he only wanted to be friends, but to have him confront them would be unbearable.

He stood there a moment, just looking at her, but she couldn't meet his gaze. She could feel her face burning with shame, and she wanted to flee, to run home and lock herself in her room and never come out.

Something up the street must've caught his eye for Becker suddenly grabbed her hand and, with a simple "C'mon," started leading her somewhere. She practically had to run to keep up with his purposeful strides, her high heels clacking loudly on the pavement. He led her to a small hardware store and walked straight up to the counter. Digging his key ring out of his pocket, he wound a key off and placed it forcefully down in front of the storekeep.

"I need this copied."

Jess watched in stunned confusion as the man made the key, at a loss for what was happening.

Once the purchase had been made, Becker picked up the key and placed it into Jess's hand. "Here. This is for you."

"Um...what is it?" she asked, staring blankly at the key. She was so confused. How had Becker gone from yelling at her about her pushy flatmates to this?

"It's a key to my flat."

Jess's jaw dropped as the key fell to the floor. Becker instantly stooped to retrieve it, and this time he tenderly wrapped his hand around hers when he gave it back to her.

"I just...it's so...I simply want you to know that you always have someplace where you're welcome," he said, looking meaningfully into her eyes before releasing her hand.

It took everything in her power not to simply drop the key once again.

...

to be continued


	15. Ch 15 A KEY, A CAR, & CONFUSION

Bend It Like Becker

...

Author's Note: Sorry for the delay in posting. This chapter has been ready for post for almost 6 days, but the internet prices at our hotels that last few days of our trip were way too pricy ($30 for 40 minutes!) You'll be happy to know, though, that I wrote almost 5 chapters whilst in New Zealand (How did you spend your holiday? Obsessing about Jess & Becker, of course!) I promise I will be posting several more chapters very soon. Thanks for all the reviews - I'm so happy that people are enjoying this story!

...

Chapter 15 – A KEY, A CAR, AND CONFUSION

...

The moment Becker placed the key in Jess's hand, he felt as if a huge weight had been lifted. True, he hadn't actually solved her problem - Abby and Connor were still her flatmates, still making her feel uncomfortable in her own home - but at least he'd done what he could. His suggestion to talk to them, to tell them it was time to find a place of their own, had so upset Jess that he'd quickly backed off of the idea. The last thing he wanted to do was cause her more grief, since she was already so stressed.

That's why he'd given her the key. If he couldn't fix the problem directly, at least he could offer her a safe haven, someplace where she could retreat and regain her strength until she felt ready to confront her flatmates.

And now that he'd done so, Becker could relax and enjoy their breakfast together. Or at least that was his plan. But Jess seemed strangely distant and quiet as they continued on to the cafe, clearly still upset by their confrontation.

Of course, Becker realized, the confrontation. That was it. Jess must think he was angry with her, and who could blame her when he'd stood in the street yelling like that. He hadn't meant to lose his temper, but now Jess thought it was all her fault - she'd even apologised, as if she'd been in the wrong. Becker realised he must remedy that, he must make it clear that his anger wasn't directed at her.

So as they entered the cafe, Becker insisted upon paying for breakfast before suggesting she go find seats. After ordering, he joined her at a table in the corner, where she was just putting away her mobile. Sitting down across from her, he reached out and put his hand tenderly atop hers. "I hope you don't think I'm cross with you," he began awkwardly. "I know...I shouldn't have yelled. It's just...I care about you, Jess. I hope you know that."

Jess nodded tentatively, as if she wasn't quite sure she believed him.

Becker didn't know how to convince her. He reckoned she was still dwelling on the Abby/Connor situation, and perhaps the best thing would be to simply change the subject, to engage her in idle conversation to get her mind off of it.

But he'd never been good at that sort of thing - idle conversation was more Jess's area of expertise than his. So he figured he merely needed to get her talking about a subject she liked, and everything would sort itself out.

"So...where'd you get your shoes?" Becker asked.

Jess stared at him as if he'd just asked when the next flight to Pluto was. "My shoes?"

"Yeah," Becker said, peering under the table to actually look at her feet. He generally didn't take much note of her shoes because he was usually too busy focussing on the long legs sprouting from them, but the shoes she was wearing today were, to be honest, extremely hot. They had a rather innocent-looking pink-and-black-plaid design, but the multiple leather straps around each ankle made them incredibly sexy. He imagined undoing them a buckle at a time, her feet in his lap, his hands caressing her firm shins...

He frowned - he was supposed to be distracting her, not the other way around. He cleared his throat and mumbled absently, "You own a lot of shoes, don't you?"

Jess shrugged. "Depends on how you define 'a lot'." She sounded almost defensive, as if he were criticising her for her vast shoe collection.

Perhaps a more neutral topic would be better.

"You were right about Emily, by the way."

"Emily?" Jess repeated blankly.

Becker nodded. "I think she's going to make a great goalkeeper. You should've seen her dive for this lizard at the anomaly the other day."

Jess smiled at the image, the first real smile Becker had seen from her since their confrontation. He was relieved to have found a topic of conversation that could distract her and continued, "Starting Monday, I think we should start playing, REALLY playing. We can divide up the team five and five and take turns playing offense and defense. What do you think?"

"I think...that'd be good, though we still have some skills we need to work on. Perhaps we can start with some drills and then move on to playing? Or maybe the other way 'round. Do you have a preference?"

Becker frankly didn't care - he was just glad that Jess was talking again. Things were finally back to normal, and he could sit back and enjoy his time alone with her.

And perhaps think about one day removing those shoes of hers one buckle at a time.

...

Jess was convinced that Becker must've received top academic honours in Mixed Signals 101. Hell, he could be teaching the class himself! Because Jess had never been so confused in all her life.

Seriously, was it possible for him to make less sense? One moment he'd been yelling at her, clearly resentful of Connor and Abby's teasing since he was only interested in being her friend...and then the next he'd given her a key to his flat! Could he be more inconsistent?

And nothing after that had made much sense either. True, he'd been chivalrous and bought her breakfast, but then he'd ragged on her for having too many shoes. And then he'd abruptly changed topics, spontaneously discussing footy as if none of the rest had happened. What the hell?

At least the remainder of breakfast had been pleasant enough. They'd stuck to discussing the team and the upcoming match, and he no longer seemed cross at her about the Minister's wager, only frustrated with the situation in general.

But then they'd started to work on his car.

To say that Becker was stubborn about trying to fix it himself was an understatement. Obstinate, bullheaded, a proverbial pain in the arse were perhaps more appropriate terms. He insisted on checking everything himself and refused to listen to any of Jess's suggestions to call a recovery lorry. He also grew annoyed that she wasn't knowledgeable of anything under the bonnet and would snap at her when he'd ask her to check something she was unfamiliar with.

At one point he had her bring her own car around to attempt to jump-start his, thinking it was the battery that was causing the problems. However, when she started her car before his hands were completely free of the jump leads, he gave her an earful. Finally, well past twelve, Becker announced that, after narrowing it down, the problem seemed to be with the starter itself - something about the bendix mechanism or the solenoid or something - and it would simply have to be replaced.

"Is that...something you can do yourself?" Jess asked hesitantly, not wanting another tirade about how she shouldn't be so ignorant about something she relied upon every day.

Luckily he didn't snap this time. "Not really," Becker said, rubbing his hand across his cheek and leaving a streak of grease behind. "I don't have the right equipment to do it here. I'm going to need to take it in."

Jess breathed a sigh of relief as she dug out her mobile. "Is there a tow company you'd-"

"We don't need to tow it," Becker insisted.

Jess stared at him, confused. "But then how are you going to get it to the shop?"

"Drive it, of course. We'll simply have to pop the clutch."

She stared at him, waiting for an explanation, but he was too busy slamming down the bonnet to notice her inquisitive look. Finally she suggested, "Perhaps that could wait till after lunch?"

Now it was Becker's turn to stare blankly. "Lunch?"

"It's nearly half twelve," Jess pointed out. "I think we should go eat something first, before we attempt this 'popping the clutch' thing."

Becker nodded reluctantly. "I suppose that's best." He glanced at his greasy hands and suggested, "Perhaps we could nip back to your place first so I could wash up?"

Jess smiled, "Yes, that's probably wise." Without thinking, she licked her thumb and reached up to try and rub off the smear across his cheek. At first he looked confused as to what she was doing, but then recognition dawned, followed shortly by a smile and then, almost immediately, the Look.

She instantly stopped and stared at him intensely. What had the Look been about? Hadn't he just said this morning that he was only interested in being friends? So why did he suddenly look so guilty about her touching his cheek? Talk about mixed signals!

"Um...yes," Jess began, feeling suddenly flustered. She couldn't help but wonder: did he, in fact, like her after all? If so, what had his tirade this morning been about? And what did the whole key thing have to do with any of it? She was so confused! "Let's, uh, get you back to my place to wash up."

"Yes, let's," he said as they started up the street. "And...perhaps you'll want to change into some more practical shoes, as you'll be the one actually popping the clutch."

"I will?" Jess had no idea what that meant. "And by practical, you mean...?"

"No heels," he said, adding under his breath, "And fewer buckles."

Jess wasn't sure what the buckles had to do with popping the clutch, but she noticed he was sporting the Look once again.

She smiled to herself, pleased with the effect her shoes seemed to be having upon him.

Perhaps she needed to start wearing strappy shoes more often!

...

to be continued


	16. Ch 16 A SWEATY SHIRT AND A SHOWER

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 16 – A SWEATY SHIRT & A SHOWER

...

Becker took a deep breath and absently wiped his sweaty brow. He was beginning to think that he should've taken Jess's suggestion about calling a recovery lorry, but he wasn't about to admit defeat just yet.

"Okay, Jess, you ready?" he called out.

"Yes, the gear's in first," she confirmed through the open driver's window. The first few times down the street she'd had the car in neutral, making his efforts worthless, but she was now clear on the concept.

"Okay," Becker mumbled to himself, taking another steeling breath before placing his hands on the boot for what felt like the zillionth time. "Let's try this again."

He started to push the car, his arm and leg muscles straining as they tried to overcome the inertia of the still vehicle. Slowly but surely the tyres started to turn, but he kept at it, trying to get the car up to speed. He was breathing heavily when he finally yelled out, "Okay, Jess, try it."

The car jerked as Jess released the clutch and the engine spontaneously burst into life.

"It worked!" Jess cried excitedly out the window.

"Just bring the car to a halt," he called down the street as he himself stopped and placed his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath.

Becker then watched in stunned horror as the car suddenly jerked and shuddered a few times before the engine sputtered and died.

"Dammit, Jessica!" Becker snapped, jogging up to the car window. "You have to put in the clutch when you stop! Don't you know anything?"

Jess bit her lip, trying not to cry. "I'm sorry. I didn't know. I've never driven a manual before."

Becker gave a frustrated sigh. He hadn't even thought to ask, he'd just assumed she knew how.

He quickly softened his tone, realising he was to blame for her failure by not given her adequate instructions. "It's okay, Jess. I'm sorry." He opened up the door, saying, "Scoot over. Let me give you a quick lesson before we try this again."

Jess awkwardly crawled over the gear shift, self-consciously yanking her short skirt down so as not to flash him, as Becker climbed into the driver's seat. Now in an enclosed space, Becker could smell how sweaty he was from all the exertion and felt bad that he was inflicting his stench on Jess. However, he couldn't think of a quick solution so he tried to ignore the smell as he proceeded to explain how to drive the manual gearbox. He knew she'd only be driving a short distance, but he wanted to make sure that she'd be able to stop the car and leave it ticking over long enough for him to get in and drive, assuming, of course, that they could even get the engine started again.

After going over everything a few times and having her repeat the instructions back to him, he climbed out of the car and, leaning on the open door, told her to move back over and demonstrate that she understood. This of course meant that he was forced to stare at her thighs, making sure her legs were pressing down on the proper pedals, and whilst she'd earlier changed into practical shoes, she was still adorned in a short skirt, which was making it difficult for him to concentrate on the lesson.

"...into neutral before releasing the clutch," Jess was saying as she performed the steps he'd taught her.

She then turned to him, looking for approval, and Becker realised that he hadn't noticed anything besides her legs themselves. However, he didn't want to make her redo it, as he'd no doubt simply be distracted again. Knowing that she was no dummy, and trusting that she'd probably paid attention, he merely nodded, saying, "You'll be fine. You ready to give it one more try?"

Jess nodded and switched the car into neutral as Becker moved around to the bonnet, ready to push it back to the top of the block so they could try again - thank goodness he'd parked on a quiet side street last night! As he put his hands on the bonnet, he caught another whiff of his sweaty t-shirt and decided to take it off so he wouldn't have to smell it. He threw it off to the side of the tarmac before once again placing his hands on the bonnet and starting to push the car backwards. For some reason, Jess was having trouble keeping the wheel straight this time around, and the car weaved unsteadily between lanes before she finally was able to straighten it out.

As they reached the end of the block, she braked, and he once again moved around to the back, hopefully for the last time.

"Make sure it's in first," he reminded.

"And push in the clutch before I brake - I remember," Jess replied.

Becker leaned into the car and started pushing. Perhaps because he hoped this was the last time, perhaps because he'd grown exhausted from the repeated attempts, this time it seemed to take forever to get the car moving. Eventually, though, it was rolling swiftly enough for Becker to call out, "Go!"

Once again, the car jerked as the engine roared to life. Becker issued a silent prayer that she wouldn't blow it again and was thrilled to see Jess bring the car to a stop, the engine purring beautifully. As Becker hurried up, Jess jumped out of the car and threw her arms around his neck excitedly, cheering, "I did it!"

Ordinarily Becker would've been distracted by the feel of Jess's arms about his bare shoulders, her ruffled frock pressed against his sweaty chest, but he was so focussed on the car that the feelings barely registered. He gently pushed her away and quickly climbed into the driver's seat, shutting the door behind him. "Do you mind following me to the garage? I want to get it there quickly before the engine dies."

Jess nodded. As she started for her car, she picked up his sweaty shirt lying on the road and tossed it to him, teasing, "You might need this when we get there."

As Becker caught it, he felt embarrassed that she'd had to touch his damp, smelly shirt. He pulled it on over his head, waiting for her to drive around. Once she arrived, he started to lead the way to a nearby garage, grateful that they hadn't had to call a recovery lorry after all.

...

Becker was still in the shower when Abby and Connor got home.

"I take it you two had a good day," Abby said, a broad grin on her face.

"None of that!" Jess scolded, wagging her finger at her flatmates. "Like I said in my text this morning, there's to be no more of your teasing and pressuring and innuendoes. Do you understand? Becker simply won't take it anymore…and neither will I."

Abby nodded, looking chagrinned. "We'll be good," she promised.

"We just want to see you two happy," Connor said.

"I know, and that's sweet, but you can't force that kind of thing. Okay? If it's going to happen, it will, but it won't if you're constantly there elbowing each other and making knowing comments. So please - behave. For me?"

Abby nodded. "So, am I at least allowed to ask why he's in our shower?"

"The water at his place was out," Jess answered simply.

Connor looked confused. "So? Who takes a shower in the late afternoon? Couldn't he wait till tomorrow?"

Jess shook her head. "He was pretty hot and sweaty."

"Oh yes?" Abby couldn't help but crack a smile.

Jess shook her finger at her friends. "You promised!"

Connor held up his hands in surrender. "I didn't say a thing!"

Abby put on a stony expression as she asked, "So why exactly was he hot and sweaty?"

"He was pushing his car, trying to get it started. He needed to pop the clutch, because there was something wrong with the starter's bendix solenoid or something, so he kept having to push it down the street over and over." Jess smiled at the memory. "He got so hot from the exertion that he eventually took his shirt off."

"Mmm, hot and sweaty indeed." Abby smiled at the image.

"Oi! Fiance in the room!" Connor protested.

"Oh, whatever, Connor - like you never notice Jess's skirts," Abby shot back before teasing Jess, "Must've been hard to steer with that image in your rear view."

Jess blushed and confessed, "A bit, yeah. So anyway, we finally got the engine started and his car to the garage, and I drove him home. But when we got there, it turned out they were doing pipe work and had shut down the water for his entire block, so I offered to bring him back here for a shower and then dinner."

"A shower and THEN dinner? Isn't that doing things a bit backwards?" Connor teased.

"Connor!" This time it was Abby doing the scolding.

"What? It's not like he can hear me."

As if in response, the water suddenly turned off. Connor mumbled, "Fine, I'll be good now," as he slunk off towards his bedroom.

Once he was gone, Abby whispered, "So are things okay between you two? You sounded upset in your text."

Jess nodded. "Yeah, they're better now." While she'd wanted to warn off her flatmates about the teasing, she hadn't bothered to mention the flat key to them. And while Jess desperately wanted to talk about her confusing day with someone, clearly Abby was not to be trusted with such information.

As Jess heard the door to the bathroom open upstairs, she called out, "Abby and Connor are home," just so Becker wouldn't be caught unawares.

"Would you like to have dinner with us?" Abby offered as Becker came down, his hair still wet. "I was thinking of making spaghetti for all of us, and we'd love for you to stay and join in."

Becker gave Jess an inquisitive look, as if waiting to see if this was what she wanted.

Jess nodded. "Becker and I could pop round to the store to get a baguette for garlic bread if you'd like."

"And pick up some ale," Connor hollered from his room before popping his head down the stairs to add, "Please?"

"Anything else you need?" Jess asked as Abby walked into the kitchen and opened up the fridge.

"Maybe stuff for a salad?"

"Will do," Jess said. She then turned to Becker, saying, "C'mon, let's go."

Becker looked horrified. "I can't go out like this."

"Like what?"

Becker gestured frantically to his wet hair.

Jess laughed. "It's just the off-license down the street - it's not like there's a dress code."

Abby nodded. "I see old ladies in their hair curlers in there all the time. No one will care."

But Becker still didn't look convinced. Turning to Jess, he asked, "You sure you don't mind being seen with me...like this?"

"Of course not. Don't be silly. C'mon."

As the two of them headed down the stairs, Connor called after them, "Have fun storming the off-license."

Jess rolled her eyes, realising that Connor had promised to be good, he hadn't promised to stop being Connor!

...

to be continued


	17. Ch 17 DREAMY DISCOURSE

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 17 - DREAMY DISCOURSE

...

Becker was unbuckling straps. He'd started at her ankle and slowly moved up her shin, past her knee, and along her thigh. The straps continued up under her skirt, and he began to reach underneath, ready to undo the next buckle...

He awoke with a jolt as the pillows beneath his head suddenly shifted.

He opened his eyes to darkness, disoriented. It took him a full minute to realise that pillows, as a general rule, don't shift, and another to realise that those same pillows were, in fact, the very thighs he'd just been dreaming of.

The memories of last night came flooding back to him. They'd had an amazingly pleasant dinner with Abby and Connor, listening to the couple regale them with stories about the Pet Show as they all laughed and drank ale. There seemed to be none of the tension that had been present the night before, and Becker wondered if Jess had actually talked to them already. After all, Abby brought up the topic of "when we get our own place" several times, though it was usually in reference to the various animals she hoped to one day acquire. No hints were made, subtle or otherwise, about Jess spending time away from the flat, which made Becker stop worrying so much about her. Abby even insisted that she and Connor must do the dishes - such a change from their attitude this morning.

After dinner, Jess offered to drive Becker home, but Abby suggested he stick around and spend the evening with them.

"You know what movie I've been dying to watch all week, ever since we started practicing?" Abby asked. "_Bend It Like Beckham_."

At Jess and Becker's laughter, Connor asked, "What? You two watch it already?"

"Not exactly," Jess admitted as Abby popped in the DVD.

As Abby and Connor curled up together in the comfy chair, Becker decided to sit on the couch, his head slumped against Jess's shoulder. He was physically exhausted from pushing the car all afternoon, and as he started to doze off, he vaguely recalled Jess absently running her fingers through his now-dry hair, which had only relaxed him further. The last thing he remembered was Keira inviting Parminder to come to the team try-outs.

In the night he must've slumped completely, his head ending up in Jess's lap. She must've fallen asleep, too, he realised, since she was still sat beneath him. Clearly the film was now causing some sort of Pavlovian response in both of them, making them instantly fall asleep.

But Becker couldn't sleep now, not after the dream he'd just had. He groggily propped himself up on one elbow and, twisting around, gently placed a hand on Jess's shoulder. "Jess," he whispered through the darkness.

Instead of waking, she shivered and, mumbling something incoherent, shifted her position so she was now facing him, her warm garlicky breath upon his cheek. His eyes had adjusted somewhat to the darkness so he could just make out her pretty face. Her lips were slightly parted, and he suddenly felt the urge to lean over and kiss her.

Becker shook his head, trying to rid himself of the notion. What was he thinking? Nothing had changed. It was still a bad idea to get together with Jess. They were friends, and it was pointless to pursue anything further because he'd simply ruin everything.

Yet it suddenly occurred to him that, only hours ago, he'd given her the key to his flat!

"Jess!" Becker whispered more urgently this time as he sat up completely, trying to get a little more space between them.

"Huh?" she mumbled, her eyes fluttering open. "Becker? Why are you-"

"Jess, you need to go to bed. It's late."

"You take the bed," she mumbled, closing her eyes and burrowing further into the couch, clearly trying to get warm. "It's your turn."

"Jess, you're at home. You need to go to bed. YOUR bed."

"Yeah, bed," she mumbled, though she made no effort to get up and head for her bedroom. A sudden chill caused her to shiver, and she tried to tuck her feet up under her. "'S cold. You should keep me warm."

The invitation to "keep her warm", as it were, was something that Becker would've been more than happy to accommodate, but he knew her words were merely half-asleep ramblings. However, it was clear she truly was cold, thanks in part to the short skirt she was wearing. And this one, far from being magical, had ridden up as she'd shifted around and was now exposing way more of her thighs than he imagined she'd be comfortable with. Thinking only of her modesty, even though it wasn't likely that anyone else would see her like this, he reached over to try and pull her skirt down and, in doing so, gently brushed her thigh with his hand. The touch, slight as it was, didn't go unnoticed, and Jess, her eyes still closed, placed her hand atop his.

"Mmm, that's nice," she mumbled. "But not now. Not while Abby's here."

"Abby?" Becker repeated absently, having trouble focussing on anything now that his hand was being pressed against her warm thigh.

"Abby'll tell," Jess mumbled. "She always tells. Even the Look."

Becker had no idea what Jess was talking about. He only knew that if she kept his hand there for much longer, he might start thinking about kissing her again.

"Not the key though," Jess continued. "'S'okay. She'll stop now. She just cares - they all do."

Becker wasn't even listening anymore. Using every ounce of willpower he had, he pulled his hand free, in the process accidentally pushing her skirt up even further. Becker gulped and mumbled to himself, "Blankets," before asking directly, "Jess, where are the blankets?"

"Don't need 'em," she mumbled, sleepily stretching her hands out towards him. "Your arms will do fine."

Becker leant back to avoid her reach and stood up. "I'm, uh, gonna go get us some blankets. In your room, yeah? I'll be right back."

He hurried up to her bedroom, trying to be careful so as not to trip and wake the others. As he reached the door, though, he suddenly paused. It didn't seem right to go barging into her private bedroom without her permission. Of course, it also didn't seem right to leave her shivering on the couch uncovered with her skirt riding up to near indecent levels, so he opened the door and walked on in.

Without thinking, he automatically turned on the light switch and was blinded by the sudden glare. He quickly shut it off again, but his pupils had already contracted, which meant he had to stand there in the doorway for several minutes as his eyes adjusted once again to the dark.

It often happens that when one sense is removed, the others become more heightened. In this case, standing there in the darkened doorway, he couldn't help but notice how the scent of Jess filled the room. It was subtle, something he might've not even noticed if he'd entered during daylight hours, but here in the middle of the night the aroma seemed almost overpowering. There wasn't one particular odour that stood out - the fragrance wasn't flowery or fruity or perfumy, though he thought he could detect the slight essence of a chocolate-scented candle amidst it all - but the combination was just...nice. Sweet. Wonderful. One whiff, and his head was filled with images of Jess. It was so distracting, he knew in an instant he'd never be able to sleep in this room...at least not without Jess at his side!

Realising his eyes were now adjusted, he approached the bed and pulled off the duvet and several pillows. The blankets that he'd slept under the night before were neatly piled in the windowseat, and he grabbed up these as well before heading back down to the living room.

Jess was still fast asleep on the couch, but in her efforts to stay warm, she'd curled up into a fetal ball, her teeth chattering. Becker threw the duvet over her shivering form and gently lifted her head to place her pillow underneath. He then tenderly brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, momentarily thinking about that kiss again, before tucking the duvet in around her shoulders. In her sleep she grasped the duvet and rolled over, holding its warmth close to her as her shivers started to ease.

Once he was certain she was settled and warm, he grabbed the blankets and another pillow and found a spot on the floor far away from Jess. Lying down, he noticed that even the pillow had Jess's scent on it, which did not bode well for a peaceful night. But what else could be done?

So he closed his eyes and, taking a deep whiff of the pillow, hoped that perhaps he'd be able to resume his dream precisely where he'd left off.

...

"Morning, Sleepyhead."

Jess opened her eyes to see Abby standing over her, fully dressed.

"You're up early," Jess said, yawning and stretching.

"Not really," Abby laughed. "You clearly needed the sleep, though. Sweet dreams?"

Jess smiled as she remembered. "Mmm, yes."

"I see," Abby said knowingly. "Well, I wanted to make sure you were awake before we left."

Jess nodded and closed her eyes again, not quite ready to get up yet. "I'm awake. Have fun today."

Abby nudged her again. "C'mon. You should get up. Or at least go into your bedroom."

It was only then that it occurred to Jess that she wasn't already there. "Did I sleep on the couch last night?" As she said it, she realised how much her back was hurting and how her hip seemed to be pressing uncomfortably into a button. Shifting to try to get comfortable, which was difficult still clad in her frock from last night, she asked through a yawn, "What time did Becker go home?"

Abby eyed her warily. "Jess, his car's at the shop, remember? You fell asleep, so he stayed over."

"Oh." She felt bad that she hadn't been awake to drive him. "Is he still here?"

"Yes and no - he went for a run this morning, but he should be back shortly."

"Mmm," Jess answered, her eyes falling closed again as she imagined him jogging. Another thought entered her drowsy brain and she asked, "Did he sleep in my bed?"

"No, he seems to have slept on the floor."

"Oh, strange," Jess mumbled, remembering the conversation they'd had. "I told him he could have the bed."

The conversation!

Jess suddenly sat bolt upright, her heart pounding in her chest! "Omigod!" she said as the full impact of what she'd just remembered started to sink in. She covered her face with her hands as she repeated, "Omigod, omigod, omigod!"

"Jess, what is it?" Abby asked worriedly, sitting down next to her and putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

Jess looked into her flatmate's face as the adrenaline continued to course through her veins. "I talked to him last night, Abby! In the middle of the night! And I told him everything! About how I'd told you about the Look and you'd told the others, and how it was going to be okay now because you weren't going to tease us anymore and didn't even know about the key, and oh Abby, I told him I wanted him to keep me warm and omigod, what am I gonna do?"

Abby stared at her as if she were insane. "Jess," she soothed, slowing rubbing her arm as if that was somehow going to make everything better, "I think it's going to be okay."

Didn't Abby understand anything? Jess threw off the duvet and leapt to her feet, not even noticing the sudden draft. But before she could take a step, Abby reached up and yanked her skirt down for her.

"In the state you're in, you probably don't want Becker walking in on you with your skirt hiked up past your knickers," Abby stated matter-of-factly, but this only made Jess more hysterical.

"Omigod!" Jess said, staring down at her flatmate in horror. "Becker did the same thing last night. That must've been why he...but then I thought...omigod, it's even worse than I thought! I've made such a fool of myself! Omigod omigod omigod!"

"Jess?" Connor asked worriedly, scurrying down the stairs. "What's happened? Are you okay?"

"Do I look okay?" she asked hysterically. "I've just ruined everything! I practically threw myself at him, even though he only wants to be friends. I'm such an idiot!"

Connor hurried over and put his hands on her shoulders in an effort to calm her before then sharing a look with his fiance, who merely shrugged.

Clearly they didn't understand! It hadn't been a dream, as she'd initially thought. Instead it was a nightmare!

"What am I gonna do?" she asked Connor frantically. "He's gonna think-"

She stopped as she heard the front door open down below.

"Omigod!" she exclaimed as she freed herself from Connor's grip and ran up to her bedroom. She slammed the door and then leant against it, both curious and dreading what she was about to hear.

"Hey," she heard Becker's voice say. "She finally wake up?"

There was a longish pause, and Jess could envision Connor sharing a look with Abby before answering. "Yup. Just up now. In her room changing."

"You brought food?" Abby asked.

"They, uh, had chocolate croissants at the cafe when I passed, so I just thought..."

"Not for you, Connor," Abby scolded, and Jess could imagine Connor quickly setting the bag back down. "We were just about to leave for the Pet Show. We could give you a ride home if-"

"No, that's okay. I'll, uh, just wait for Jess," Becker was quick to say.

"Well, I guess we'll be off then," Connor said, "and leave you two alone together to, uh, sort this out."

Jess leant her head against the door in despair, accidentally making an audible knocking noise.

"Um, I'm sure Jess'll be out any second," Abby said, clearly trying to cover for her. "And you know, if you two aren't busy doing anything else today, you should stop by the Pet Show. I'm sure you'd both have loads of fun."

"Spending the day with creatures I don't get to shoot?" Becker asked drily, and Jess could practically feel Abby's glare through the door. He then continued, "We'll see. I don't know what Jess is up to today, and I don't want to interrupt her plans."

"Oh, she don't have any plans," Connor blurted out before adding, "...that I know of. But Abby's right - the Pet Show's fun. Just think about it."

"And give us a call if you decide to come and we can meet up for lunch or whatever," Abby said.

"Will do," Becker agreed, and Jess listened till the front door closed.

Omigod, what was she going to do? Now she was left here alone with him, and she didn't want to face him.

But she couldn't stay hidden in her room all day. He was stranded here, without his car, and she'd have to go out eventually.

So maybe she should just face the music now. Go out and see what kind of damage she'd done last night. She put her hand on the doorknob before realising it might look strange to go out there in the same frock she'd slept in when Connor had already said she was changing. So she grabbed her robe off the back of her door and threw it around her before walking out of her room and down the stairs.

"Hey, Jess," Becker said casually, looking up from where he was sat on the couch, his shirt a bit sweaty after his run. "I brought you a chocolate croissant."

"Uh, thanks." She noticed he didn't seem freaked out by her mere presence. She wasn't quite sure what she'd expected, but if her nighttime ramblings had ruined everything, she would've thought he'd make some mention of them.

Instead he continued, "So, uh, I don't know what your plans are for today, but Abby suggested that we meet them at the Pet Show. I don't know if that'd be something you'd be interested in, but I thought-"

"Yes," Jess blurted out. "Yes, that would be lovely." Spending the day with him in the company of her flatmates, who could come to her rescue in case things got weird, would definitely be good.

Becker nodded and gave her robe a once-over. "If you need to take a shower or whatever, I'm happy to wait. And if you wouldn't mind swinging by my place so I could take a quick one as well, plus get some fresh clothes and-"

"Do your hair?" Jess asked with a smile. She still couldn't believe how neurotic he'd been about his hair last night...and then she remembered how good it'd felt running her fingers through it when he'd dozed off.

Becker nodded, actually looking a bit embarrassed for possibly the first time since she'd known him. "If it's not too much bother. I know it's a bit of a drive."

Jess shook her head. "No problem. And yeah, let me jump in the shower real quick. Then we can head over to your place and still have time to meet Connor and Abby for lunch."

Becker smiled. "Sounds like a plan."

Jess felt relieved. He wanted to spend his day with her, even after she'd practically thrown herself at him last night, He didn't even seem upset over her confession about spilling all to Abby. She'd just need to be careful about what she said today and not blurt out anything embarrassing.

Though she was off to a good start - she hadn't blurted out that they could save time if they simply showered together, which she just might've if they'd been having this conversation last night!

Clearly she needed to avoid all future late-night conversations with Becker if she didn't want to scare him off for good!

...

to be continued


	18. Ch 18 HANDHOLDING HABITS

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 18 - HAND-HOLDING HABITS

...

"So did you two have fun today?" Abby asked as the four of them walked out of the exhibit hall.

"Oh, yes," Jess answered. "Thanks so much for suggesting it."

Becker nodded as well - he'd found the Pet Show quite enjoyable. Correction: he'd found being with Jess at the Pet Show quite enjoyable. Jess's exuberance always seemed to make everything a little cheerier.

"So what was your favourite part?" Connor asked.

"The kittens!" Jess squealed, and the memory of her sitting on the floor with a lapful of tiny tumbling furballs was enough to make Becker's teeth hurt. "Weren't they just the cutest things ever?" she gushed, and Becker nodded, even though he felt that that title should go to her instead.

"What about you, Becker?" Abby inquired. "You seemed to enjoy the service dogs, yeah?"

"Did he!" Jess confirmed. "I couldn't get him to stop asking the trainers questions."

"I wanted to see if there could be a way to train one for ARC purposes," Becker explained. "You have to admit that it would've been useful to have some sort of hunting dog with us at the meadow the other day."

"Yeah, handy until the dog ate the lizards," Jess teased.

"_Petrolacosaurus_," Connor corrected automatically.

As Becker rolled his eyes, Jess asked, "So what about you, Connor? What was your favourite part of the Pet Show?"

Connor smiled at the memory. "Watching Abby totally show up that prat who claimed to be a reptile expert. He didn't know nothing next to my genius of a fiance here, and she's far better looking to boot," he said, putting his arm around Abby and giving her a quick peck on the lips.

Becker had never been a big fan of public displays of affection, but he was starting to change his mind, thanks entirely to Jess. He wasn't sure if she'd noticed, but they'd actually held hands for the majority of the day. Each time it would start with Jess eagerly grabbing his hand in order to drag him over to some display she wanted to see, but once there, she'd forget to let go. Becker didn't want to make a big deal of it by suddenly releasing her hand for no reason, so each time he merely held on until she let go, usually to coo over an adorable baby animal of some sort.

Her actions were entirely innocent, much like an excited little girl reaching for her father's hand, but Becker had to admit he enjoyed the feel of her hand in his. Only on a friendship basis, he would struggle to remind himself when he'd notice his mind starting to focus on her touch. But even with such reminders, his mind kept going back to last night, the way her hand had felt pressing his against her thigh, the way she'd looked in the darkness, the way he'd wanted to kiss her...

"...have a preference?"

Becker suddenly noticed that all eyes were on him following Abby's question. Having no idea what was asked, he merely shook his head, mumbling, "No preference."

"I vote for pizza," Connor offered, making Becker realise the question must've been about supper.

"You ALWAYS vote for pizza," Abby complained.

"Yeah, and what's wrong with that?" Connor asked. "If I like something, I want it all the time. Just like you," he said, playfully reaching for Abby again, but she pushed him away.

"But we just had spaghetti last night," Abby pointed out.

"So? Pizza ain't spaghetti - it's pizza. Help me out here, Jess."

"I'm good with pizza."

"Becker?" Connor asked hopefully.

Becker had a sudden memory of Jess's garlicky breath upon his cheek last night, and he answered absently, "Yeah, pizza."

Connor grinned smugly back at Abby. "You're out-voted. Pizza it is."

Abby frowned and gave Becker a friendly swat. "You're supposed to take my side. Otherwise I never get my way against these two."

However, Becker's mind wasn't on food or on being Abby's tie-breaker. Instead, he was still considering Connor's comment. He, too, didn't grow tired of things he liked, only in this instance he was thinking of Jess. Over the past week they'd spent practically every waking moment together, not to mention most sleeping moments as well, yet he wasn't growing tired of her in the slightest. To the contrary, he was discovering more and more how much he enjoyed her company. Perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea to have given her the key to his flat after all.

But she was just a friend, he reminded himself. He shouldn't be thinking about her as much as he was. It was like a vicious cycle - the more time he spent with her, the more time he wanted to spend with her. And that was making it difficult to remember that they should keep their friendship platonic.

So perhaps he needed to go cold turkey and stop seeing Jess. Not that he could avoid seeing her completely, since they still had work and the football team. But he could certainly stop spending all his spare time with her. The more time they spent apart, the easier it'd be to keep the whole "friend" concept in his head.

So that was the obvious solution: no more spending time with her.

"Okay, we'll meet you there," Jess called to her flatmates as they headed away across the carpark.

That is, no more spending time with her once they finished supper tonight

...

"Now don't mind me," Jess said as she entered Becker's flat and tossed down her bag. "Feel free to do whatever you need to do. You won't even know I'm here."

She pulled her laptop out of her bag and sat down on the couch. In a way she was looking forward to this evening - a time to relax and catch up with her on-line life. Once the laptop was booted, she asked, "So what's your password?"

"What?"

Jess looked up at Becker, who was still standing awkwardly by the door. "Your wifi password? So I can jump on-line."

"Oh. Uh. Here, I'll type it in for you."

He hurried over and took the proffered laptop.

"Paranoid much?" she teased. "Though I guess it's what I should expect from the Head of ARC Security, yeah?"

"Yeah, something like that," Becker mumbled as he handed the computer back to her.

She immediately opened up her browser and went straight to her email account. She was already about to reply to her third email when she noticed that Becker was still simply standing there, doing nothing. She looked up, asking, "Did you need something?"

"What? Oh...no. I, uh, was just going to ask if you'd like some tea or something."

Jess shook her head. "Like I said, don't worry about me. If I need anything, I can get it myself. I don't want to prevent you from getting done what you need to."

He nodded and wandered off, and Jess returned to her email. After sending a few more replies, she logged onto Facebook and updated her status:

_Had a lovely day at the Pet Show. Cutest kittens eveh! Wish my flat allowed pets! :(_

She had had a lovely day, and the kittens were adorable. But she'd lied when she told Connor that they'd been her favourite part of the day. The best part had actually been holding hands with Becker!

She's hadn't meant to at first. In fact, she hadn't even noticed that she'd taken his hand when she'd eagerly led him over to the kitten display. But when they'd reached it, she suddenly realised what she'd done. She immediately let go, pretending to be interested in the hairless Sphynx kittens so it wouldn't be so obvious that she'd momentarily forgotten that her hand was in his. However, it occurred to her afterwards that he hadn't balked at her touch; in fact, he hadn't even initiated a release. So the next time she absently took his hand - and it really had been an accident - she decided to try holding it for just a bit longer, just to see what he'd do. Amazingly he still didn't try to extricate his hand from her grasp, once again patiently waiting until she let go.

Which meant the next time she'd taken his hand hadn't been an accident. Nor the next. Nor the next. In fact, she started timing him, to see just how long he'd go without saying something. Amazingly, he never once showed any signs of letting go, even though Jess herself couldn't last for more than five minutes at a time. She found that, after too long, she'd start paying more attention to the feel of his skin against hers than what she was saying, and she knew from last night's disastrous conversation that she couldn't be trusted not to say the wrong thing. But regardless, she'd managed to spend a good part of the day with Becker's hand in hers, and she couldn't have been happier.

And supper had been lovely, too. Connor had insisted on having garlic on the pizza, and Jess was somewhat self-conscious about how her breath might smell afterwards, but eventually stopped worrying - after all, it wasn't like she was going to be kissing Becker later! In fact, her plan had been to merely drop him off at his place after supper; that is, that had been her plan until Connor brought up the topic.

"So how are you getting to work tomorrow, mate?"

Jess hadn't even though about that conundrum, and apparently Becker hadn't either for he looked momentarily confused before finally shrugging. "I can just take the Tube, I guess."

"The Tube?" Jess asked. "But there isn't a station anywhere near the ARC. And even if you transferred to a bus, the nearest stop is over a mile away."

"A cab, then."

"Don't be ridiculous," Jess said. "I can drive you."

"Jess, my flat is completely out of your way."

"So? I don't mind."

"Or you could always stay at our place," Connor offered. "Though personally, if I had to choose between our couch and the Cretaceous, I'd have a tough time picking."

Jess ignored Connor's comment, instead offering, "We could stop by your place to pick up your things tonight, and then you could simply stay over and ride in with me in the morning."

Becker paused before answering, and Jess was certain he was about to say yes when he frowned and shook his head. "No. I shouldn't. I really need...at home...I have loads of...stuff. I have stuff I need to do tonight. I'll be fine with a cab."

"But what if we get called out?" Abby asked.

Becker looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, what if there's an anomaly tonight? You wouldn't want to be hailing a cab at three in the morning, would you?"

"And time is of the utmost when there's an alert," Connor agreed. "You really should stay over, mate."

Jess watched Becker struggling to decide. It looked like he was just about to give in when he insisted, "No, really. I've, uh, loads of stuff."

Jess instantly saw the solution. "Then I'll sleep over at your place." Becker opened his mouth to protest, but Jess insisted, "No arguments. You're Head of Security - you need to be able to respond to an anomaly at a moment's notice. But don't worry - I'll stay out of your way so you can go ahead and do whatever you need to get done."

And thus after supper they'd stopped by her place to pick up her things before driving here.

Yet Jess was beginning to notice that Becker didn't seem quite as busy as he'd protested. In fact, he seemed to be mindlessly roaming from room to room, as if trying to find something to occupy his time. Why had he made such a big deal about being busy if he wasn't going to-?

Oh! The light finally dawned.

"Becker, if your big plans were to play video games tonight, please don't let me stop you. And there's no need to be ashamed - I think it's a perfectly valid way of spending your free time. I play some myself, you know." Of course, she mostly played Sorority Life, but he didn't need to know that.

"Uh...video games," Becker said hesitantly, as if he still wasn't sure he wanted to admit that that was his plan. "Right. Um, you caught me."

Jess smiled and watched as he walked over to his computer console and turned it on.

"I think I'll go put the kettle on," Jess said, now that Becker finally seemed settled. She set her laptop on the coffee table and went into the kitchen. As she shut off the tap, she could hear what sounded like gunfire in the other room. She smiled to herself, glad that he was finally going to be able to relax and enjoy his evening.

Though how she was ever going to be able to concentrate with such a racket remained to be seen.

...

to be continued


	19. Ch 19 AVOIDANCE & ASSISTANCE

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 19 - AVOIDANCE & ASSISTANCE

...

So far Becker's plan to stop spending time with Jess wasn't going so well. In fact, his plan was failing miserably.

He couldn't believe he'd been talked into having Jess stay over last night! He would've made more of an effort to get out of it, but Connor and Abby had made a powerful argument about needing to respond immediately to an alert. Besides, what effort he did make to resist had backfired completely - thank goodness Jess had made the comment about playing video games, for he'd been at a total loss as to what to do to appear "busy". And at least he'd been able to release some of his pent-up frustrations by shooting things, even if they were only virtual bullets. Unfortunately Jess had grown interested in the game and had ended up sitting next to him, "helpfully" giving him pointers on strategy most of the evening - so much for spending time away from her!

Back in his own bed that night, since Jess had insisted on taking the couch, he'd finally gotten a decent night's sleep for the first time in days. But while he obviously needed the sleep, it didn't help that his dreams were filled with Jess - even his unconscious wasn't letting him spend time away. Thankfully Jess got up and took her shower whilst he was out on his morning run, so at least that awkwardness was avoided. She'd apologised profusely for using up so much of the hot water, but he didn't bother explaining that that simply wouldn't be an issue after the dreams he'd had.

Once he'd arrived at work, he'd reaffirmed his determination to spend time away from Jess, forgetting that there was an all-staff meeting scheduled for most of the morning. And at lunch, it would've been rude to sit at a table by himself when his friends had so graciously reserved him a spot. Even his afternoon hadn't been Jess-free, as new earpieces for the comms had come in and Matt assigned him to help Jess test them out.

With the way things had been going, he wasn't even terribly surprised when his garage informed him that his car wouldn't be ready for at least another day, thus ensuring another night of Jess on his couch. He considered lying to her about it, but he didn't dare risk her wrath in case there was an anomaly and he was stranded without a car. And in a way, having her stay over again "just in case" of an alert meant they were practically guaranteeing that one wouldn't happen.

So by the time practice finally rolled around, Becker felt like he'd spent the entire day with Jess, and of course he already knew he'd be spending his evening with her as well. So after Abby finished leading the warm-ups, Becker did the only thing he could - he placed Jess on the opposite team.

"We're going to start playing today," Becker announced to everyone. "We'll split up into two teams, with Emily being the goalkeep for both, as we're only playing on half the field. So let's see - Abby, Ghani, Scott, and O'Rourke, you'll be with me, and the rest of you will be our opponents. So let's get started by-"

"Actually," Jess said, interrupting him as she stepped to the front, "since it's been so long since we practiced, we're going to start with some laps to get us loosened up. So go ahead and start running, and we'll tell you when to stop."

Becker wasn't sure why Jess hadn't mentioned anything to him about this idea before, but it seemed like a solid plan. He was about to start on his own laps when she reached out and grabbed his wrist to stop him. This wasn't an absent, friendly grasp as she'd done at the Pet Show - this was clearly intentional, and Becker could tell that she was upset.

He also could tell that Connor and Lester seemed to be waiting for her to begin their run. Jess realised it, too, and turned to them, stating, "You two go on and start running without me. I need to have a talk with the Coach."

"Uh oh, sounds like you're in trouble, mate," Connor said, giving Becker a supportive pat on the shoulder as he jogged by.

Once they were out of earshot, Jess turned back to Becker. He wasn't sure what he'd done, but the anger was evident in her eyes.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked without preamble.

Becker shrugged. "Dividing up teams to play, like we discussed?" he answered, suddenly unsure.

"No, you're destroying every ounce of team spirit which we worked so hard to build up last week."

Becker didn't know what to say so he simply waited for her to go on.

He didn't have to wait long. "Do you not see that you put all the GOOD players on one team and the pathetic ones on the other?"

Becker hadn't even noticed. He'd just been so determined not to have Jess on his team that he'd simply said the first four names that had popped into his head; naturally they were the players he'd interacted with the most at practice, or, as Jess put it, the 'good' players.

"It's not like we don't know, you know," Jess continued. "It's clear that we're not as good as the others, but it doesn't mean we're not trying. But to simply group us all together like that - it's humiliating!"

Becker gulped nervously, suddenly feeling sick to his stomach. He hadn't meant to hurt her or the others, but clearly he'd touched some sort of nerve.

"You don't have to explain why we were grouped together - it's pretty obvious," Jess went on. "It's like in school. The teacher can give the reading groups cutesy animal names like the Bulldogs, the Foxhounds, and the Springer Spaniels to try to make the groupings look random, but you ask any kid and they can instantly tell you which one is full of pillocks and which one's all swotty-pants."

Ah, so that was it! This wasn't just about football - it was about being singled out for being different. As adults, being smart and eager and, to be honest, a bit OCD was an asset, but it must've made Jess's childhood painfully difficult.

And obviously the memories still stung, for the corners of Jess's eyes had grown misty with tears. Becker felt like a prat for not only messing up as a coach but for making Jess cry - that certainly was the last thing he'd intended when he'd divided up the teams.

"Jess, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to single anyone, or any group, out. And you're right - it makes sense to have more balanced sides anyway. So how do you suggest we split up the teams?"

Jess sniffed and absently wiped her hand across her eyes before turning to take stock of the ten players. "How about...Neela, Scott, O'Rourke, Matt, and Connor on one team, and Abby, you, Duggan, me, and Lester on the other?"

Becker smiled as he realised what she'd done - she'd taken each pair of comparable players and split them up between the two teams so they'd be precisely even.

"You're brilliant," he praised before quickly adding, "and I don't mean that in a 'swotty-pants' sort of way."

Jess blushed. "Sorry about that. I guess I overreacted a little, yeah?"

Becker shook his head. "No need to apologise. And you've actually fixed the teams, which is what matters."

Jess smiled. "So should we call them back over so we can start playing?"

Becker simply nodded, letting her take charge. This interchange had shown him that, despite spending so much time with her lately, he still knew so little about her.

And he definitely wanted to know more.

Though it wasn't until they were heading out onto the pitch together that Becker realised Jess had placed them on the same team!

...

Jess was just as grateful as the other players when Becker finally yelled, "Okay, that's the half. Everyone take 15."

"Only 15?" Connor whined as Lester collapsed, exhausted, onto the grass.

"And don't forget to drink water," Abby advised, heading towards the sidelines where they'd piled their kit.

"Yes, we all need to stay hydrated," Neela confirmed.

Becker nodded. "C'mon, let's all meet over here so we can go over some things."

Of course, it was just Jess's luck that she'd ended up on the far side of the field from the others when the half ended. She started trudging across the pitch, watching with envy as her fellow teammates reached the sidelines and collapsed onto the grass. Jess, too, wanted to make a beeline for her kit, but she also felt somehow responsible for making sure Connor and Lester were taken care of.

As she reached Lester's side, she offered her guv'nor a hand, saying, "C'mon, you'll feel better with some water in you."

"I'd feel better with some whiskey in me," he replied dryly as Jess helped him to his feet.

"No whiskey till after practice," Jess scolded, knowing full well he hadn't brought any with him.

Once he was headed off, she went over to Connor and put an encouraging hand on his back. "How're the toes?"

He shrugged. "They'll be fine. And it's not like I need them for anything this week anyway, right?"

Jess laughed as she walked with him over to where the others were now sat on the grass, drinking their water. Jess found her bottle and took a giant gulp from it, watching in amusement as Connor proceeded to pour his water over his head.

"Connor!" Abby scolded.

"What? I'm hydrating," Connor objected.

Jess sat down with a sigh. For the first time since practice began, she felt able to think. Luckily her concern over her embarrassing outburst was long gone, replaced instead by utter despair of the team's abilities. Not even Neela was playing well today, which Jess guessed was due to the girl trying to referee the match as well. Abby may have been handling the ball well, but she seemed to keep forgetting certain basic rules of sportsmanship - luckily Connor wasn't too upset over it, and his toes would be fine by tomorrow. Even Becker seemed distracted, as if his mind wasn't on what he was doing, though Jess couldn't be certain what his problem was since he seemed to always be at the opposite side of the pitch from her. Jess herself was so tired that she didn't even know how she was doing...and didn't much care - all that had mattered to her was counting the minutes till the half.

"Okay, everyone, let's listen up," Becker announced, now that the entire team was assembled. "Ghani's going to explain, yet again, the offside rule."

Neela, who didn't seem to be breathing quite as hard as the rest of them, proceeded to explain the rule for what felt like the zillionth time. It wasn't that Jess didn't understand the concept, it was simply hard to keep in her head when she was so focused on trying to score, and she imagined the others were having the same problem.

Once Neela's explanation was over, Becker suggested that everyone do some stretches, to prevent their muscles from getting cold, before everyone dissolved into their own private conversations. Abby apologetically tended to Connor's bruised toes, and Lester took off his trainers and began rubbing his obviously sore feet. Emily wasn't nearly as tired as the others, since she hadn't spent the entire 45 minutes running nonstop, so Neela started teaching her dropkicks, which she'd need to know for the game. Scott eagerly volunteered to retrieve the balls for Emily as she practiced, and Jess couldn't help but notice that Matt didn't look entirely pleased with the flirtatious soldier's sudden attentions.

Jess herself was sat staring absently into space as she slowly nursed her water bottle when suddenly Becker was kneeling at her side.

"So how do you think it's going?" he asked, keeping his voice low so the others wouldn't hear.

Jess wasn't sure how to answer. She knew that Becker valued her honest observations, but she could also sense that he was looking to be cheered up, and she couldn't figure out how to accomplish both. The truth was that the "team", such as it was, seemed destined to humiliate themselves on Saturday, but saying that was hardly likely to make Becker feel any better. She wanted to say something constructive, something that would actually improve the game, but she couldn't think of anything useful. She couldn't even say anything positive about HIS playing, since he'd seemed so distracted all half.

Distracted. That was it. While she and the others had been focussed on playing, he must've been busy coaching, trying to watch the others so he could help them improve. She felt a fool - it hadn't even occurred to her that she, as the assistant coach, should be doing the same thing!

Though being thus distracted certainly wasn't helping Becker as a player, nor Neela neither. And suddenly Jess realised what must be done.

However, it occurred to her that she'd never actually answered Becker's question. "I have some ideas on how we can improve," she answered honestly. "I'll, uh, be right back."

She stood up and hurried over to Neela, who was now coaching Emily on assorted throwing techniques as well. Scott was still helping retrieve the balls, but Jess noticed with amusement that Matt was now assisting as well. Really, did the lads think that any intelligent girl would actually fall for Scott's rubbish? Jess decided to leave it up to Emily to admonish Matt and instead called out, "Neela, can I talk to you for a moment?"

The soldier nodded and walked over, leaving Emily to continue practicing with the two lads.

"What's up, Jess?"

"Your boyfriend plays football, yeah?" Jess asked.

Neela nodded. "Yeah, it's how we met, actually. Why?"

"This might sound strange, but do you think he might be available to come ref for us the next few days here at practice?"

The soldier shrugged. "I could definitely ask."

"I know it's a lot to ask, but I just thought it might, you know, help."

Neela nodded. "It'd definitely help ME. Let me go text him and see."

As she started towards her kit, Jess headed off towards the other soldiers.

"Drew, can I talk to you for a moment?" Jess asked, adding, "Privately?"

O'Rourke got a panicked look on his face as he extricated himself from the conversation he'd been having with Duggan.

"What is it, Jess?" he asked nervously, clearly convinced he was in trouble.

For his own good, Jess walked with him till they were out of earshot of the others before asking, "Do you still work with model rockets?"

The soldier's face turned red, clearly embarrassed at having his hobby found out. "How on earth did you...?"

"I read your file," Jess explained. Really, why could no one ever remember that reading their files was part of her job? "I was wondering, do you still record all your launches?"

O'Rourke nodded. "Yeah, though I only post the interesting ones. Actually, this past weekend I-"

Jess politely cut him off, focussed as she was on her plan. "Then I have a request. Could I borrow your video camera for the next few days?"

The soldier looked wary. "Of course, though it's not a proper one. It's just a little keychain version that I tape to the rockets."

Jess smiled - that was exactly what she'd hoped to hear. If the players knew they were being recorded, they might feel self-conscious. But something small that Jess could surreptitiously attach to the goal was precisely what she'd been looking for. "Perfect! So may I borrow it?"

"If you'd like. I'll bring it into work tomorrow, yeah?"

"Thanks, Drew. You're the best. And don't worry - I promise to not tell the others how you actually spend your weekends."

O'Rourke smiled. "I'd appreciate that!" he called back to her as he returned to his friend, who was now talking with Becker.

"Hey, Jess!"

Turning at the sound of her name, Jess saw Neela, her mobile still in hand, give her a thumbs-up.

Jess tried not to look too smug as she walked up to Becker and, grabbing his hand, dragged him off privately.

"What is it, Jess?" he asked.

"Well, I'm afraid I can't do much to solve our problems today, but I've at least taken care of some starting tomorrow." Becker raised an inquisitive eyebrow, and Jess continued. "Neela's boyfriend is going to come act as ref for the next few days so she doesn't have to."

Becker smiled. "That's brilliant."

"Yes, I know. And even better, a keychain will be momentarily taking over your job as coach, during practices at least."

Becker raised a doubtful eyebrow.

"I'm going to start filming practice," she explained. "That way, whilst you're here, you can simply play instead of constantly trying to watch and coach everyone else. Then you and I can go over the video later, analyse it, and figure out precisely what we need to work on."

Becker shook his head in amazement. "Seriously, Jess, what would I ever do without you?"

"Probably start the second half late," she teased, turning to the team and announcing, "The 15's almost over, everyone. We'll be starting again in just a few minutes, so take one last swig of your water - swig, Connor, not drench - and let's head back out to the field."

...

to be continued


	20. Ch 20 COACHES & COUCHES

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 20 - COACHES & COUCHES

...

"And that should do us," Ghani said as she finished leading the cool-down.

Becker nodded. "Okay, everyone. Get some rest tonight - we've got a long week ahead of us."

"And remember," Jess jumped in. "I know things were a bit bumpy today, but it's been almost a week since our last real practice so that's to be expected. Just think of today more like a warm-up for practice tomorrow. Next time we'll be better, and we'll even have a referee! It's only Monday, so we've still got plenty of time before the match - there's no need to panic. Like Becker said, just go home and take it easy tonight. I promise you, we'll be fine - come Saturday, the Woolly Mammoths shall stomp their competitors!"

"Yay, team!" Connor cheered, giving Jess an animated high five.

The others slowly began to disperse, looking much happier than they had before Jess's pep talk. It hadn't occurred to Becker to say something encouraging to the players before they left, mostly because right now he couldn't even see the bright side. But Jess could - Jess always could - and Becker, even more than the other players, really needed her sunshine right now.

"So what's this about a referee?" Abby asked, walking up.

"Neela's boyfriend volunteered to help us out," Jess explained.

"He didn't just volunteer," Becker corrected. "It was all Jess's idea. As was the-"

"Nuh uh!" Jess stopped him with a shake of her finger before he could mention the video camera. "That's a secret. No one else is to know - it's just between you and me."

"No fair!" Connor whined. "I thought there was no secrets between flatmates. Ow!" he added as Abby turned and whacked him as if he'd said something he shouldn't.

Becker shook his head at Abby's aggressiveness. "Save it for the game, Maitland."

"No, DON'T save it for the game," Connor objected, rubbing where his fiance had hit him. "Me toes are already black and blue - I don't need a color-coordinated shoulder to go with 'em."

"Connor's right," Jess agreed. "You need to watch yourself, Abby. We can't have you red-carded out of the game - you're one of our best players." She suddenly got a panicked look and asked Becker, "That's the right expression, isn't it? Red-carded?"

Becker shrugged - he remembered reading about the penalties for misconduct but wasn't familiar with how the terms were used. "I'm sure Ghani's boyfriend will let us, and Abby, know tomorrow."

Abby looked contrite. "Okay, okay, I'll promise I'll be good." Changing the subject, she asked, "Your car's still in the shop, yeah? So will you two be stopping by the flat before heading over to Becker's for the night?"

Jess shook her head. "Not necessary."

Becker stared at her, thoroughly confused. "It's not?"

"No. I packed enough clothes for three nights - garages are notoriously bad at estimating when cars will be ready, so I wanted to be prepared."

But Becker was still having a hard time comprehending. After all, Jess struck him as the type who'd pack a large trunk just to go away for the weekend, yet she'd only brought a small duffel to his flat last night. However, as he caught sight of Jess's bare legs in her practice shorts, he realised that her outfits tended to be short on fabric, and thus she could probably fit ten of her frocks, not to mention several pairs of hopefully strappy shoes, into that one small bag.

"All right," Abby acknowledged. "Well, you two have fun, and don't stay up all night." Now it was Connor's turn to whack Abby. "Not like that," she insisted, explaining, "I meant, don't stay up worrying about the match. As Jess said, it's only Monday."

_Yes_, Becker thought, _and so much could go wrong between now and Saturday._

As Jess said goodbye to her flatmates, Becker went to grab the bag of balls, stuffing the few loose ones back inside. Try as he might, he couldn't stop worrying about the match. After all, it was his arse on the line if, or more likely when, they lost. The Minister would come looking for someone to blame, and the coach would be the obvious candidate.

"So," Jess began cheerily as she walked up, "what are we going to do tonight?"

"Work on my CV," Becker answered dryly.

Jess laughed. "Don't get all gloomy on me," she scolded playfully. "Things will be fine. You'll see. Having a referee who isn't actually playing in the game will be a huge help. And the cam-"

Becker cleared his throat loudly before subtly nodding his head, letting her know that they were not alone. Instead of heading off to the carpark with the others, Emily and Matt had stayed behind to do some dribbling practice nearby.

Jess turned back to Becker, finishing with, "And I'm sure the 'other thing' will help, too. So let's not even think about footy tonight."

"And what do you propose? Popping in _Bend It Like Beckham_ so we can both pass out before nine?"

Jess laughed again. "No, that will just remind us too much of the match. Perhaps we should go out to a movie instead. We're more likely to stay awake and less likely to have our minds wander if we're in a theatre. What do you say?"

Becker shrugged. She was right - doing anything at home was liable to make him stress about the match.

Jess hurried over and grabbed her mobile. "Then let's see what's on." After a moment of scrolling, she exclaimed, "Ooh, there's a new-"

"No," Becker stated firmly before she could even finish. "No romantic comedies."

"You don't even know what I was going to say," she protested.

"Yes I do," he said, staring pointedly at her - he'd seen that glimmer in her eyes and knew precisely.

"Okay, fine! No romantic comedies. But that means no war films either - I got my fill of gunfire last night with your video games, and I don't need to hear it tonight in surround sound."

Becker nodded. "So what else is on?"

Jess paged through her mobile a moment, looking at the film listings. Suddenly she gasped and got a different sort of twinkle in her eye. "Ooh! Can we go see something at the Odeon near here? Because there's this new French restaurant nearby and it's supposed to have this chocolate souffle that's to die for! Please?"

"French?" Becker repeated, not thrilled at the concept.

"It's supposed to be good. I'm sure they have man food there, too. Please? Chocolate souffle!"

Becker just stared at her, waiting for a better offer.

Finally she gave a relenting sigh. "How about if you agree to the restaurant, you can choose the movie?"

Becker nodded. "French it is, then."

"Yes!" Jess jumped up and down, obviously excited about the chocolate in her future.

"We should probably go then," Becker said. Turning to the two remaining players, he added, "Emily, can we have the ball?"

The girl, who'd just managed to steal the ball yet again from Matt, picked it up before turning to Becker and answering, "No, you may not."

Becker sighed - why did Emily always have to make things so difficult?

"C'mon, Emily," Jess encouraged. "Becker and I are leaving now, and I want to keep all the balls together so we don't lose them."

But the former Victorian stubbornly shook her head. "But this one's ours."

"Yours?" Becker asked.

Emily nodded. "I made Matt purchase one this weekend. Since we missed practice on Thursday and Friday, I realised he needed to practice over the weekend."

Jess smiled. "I did notice you were doing a bit better today, Matt."

"Thanks," he replied self-consciously.

"But not better enough," Emily insisted. "He still has a lot to work on in order to be as good as the other players, so we're going to stay on a bit and keep practicing tonight. We'll catch up with you in the morning."

Becker couldn't help but smile - man, Matt was so whipped!

"Well, have fun," Jess called to her friends before turning and grabbing Becker's arm. "All right - let's go get some French food. Chocolate souffle, here I come!"

...

"Well," Jess said awkwardly as Becker opened the door for her. Stepping inside his flat, she struggled for something to say. "Should I...put the kettle on?"

Becker shook his head. "No. It's late. We should probably call it a night."

Jess breathed a sigh of relief. It had been bad enough trying to make small talk in the car - she really didn't want to spend more time thinking of random topics of conversation, things that wouldn't remind them of the movie.

No, not the movie in general. It had been decent enough, as far as spy thrillers went. And dinner had been lovely, especially the souffle - definitely worth the expensive prices, though Becker had chivalrously offered to pay for hers. No, the problem wasn't the pleasant evening they'd just spent together - the problem was just that one scene.

She should've known there'd be a sex scene - they're kind of a requirement for spy thrillers. But this one had been far steamier than most - in fact, Jess's cheeks still felt warm! The handsome spy, dressed in black from head to toe. The sexy double-agent, wearing a mod skirt that left nothing to the imagination. The way his hand had started on her thigh and slowly moved up under her skirt...

If that had been all, Jess might've been okay. She would've been able to remind herself that it was just a movie - that any resemblance to actual people, living or dead, was purely coincidental.

But no, this particular sex scene had taken place on a couch. BECKER'S couch! If Jess didn't know any better, she would've sworn the movie's set-designer had actually visited Becker's flat and borrowed all the set pieces directly from him. Even the handmade afghan, folded neatly (at least at the beginning of the scene) over the back of the sofa, looked identical to the one she'd slept under last night. And to see it there now, to think that she and Becker would be forced to make small talk in the living room, pretending that they didn't notice the similarities, was simply too much.

But Becker had given them an out. He suggested it'd be best for them both to simply get changed and go straight to sleep. Certainly the couch wouldn't look quite so intimidating in the morning, when it wasn't gently lit by a lamp on the side table, its soft, golden light amazingly similar to that of the film!

"Yes, we definitely need our sleep," Jess said, dropping her duffel onto a chair.

As she started to dig out her pyjamas, Becker commented. "And tonight's your turn for the bed."

"Don't be silly," Jess said, shrugging him off. "I'm fine on the...I mean, out here," she quickly corrected. For some reason she didn't even want to say the word aloud, as if its mere mention would draw attention to it, which was the last thing she wanted to do.

"Jessica, please. I feel bad. You're the one doing me a favour by chauffeuring me everywhere - the least I can do is sleep on the...really, please, just take the bed."

"No, I'm fine out here." She just wanted to stop discussing the giant elephant in the room. Heading quickly for the loo, she said, "I'm going to, uh, change now, and then, I guess, I'll see you in the morning."

She walked past him before he could protest and shut the door behind her. She caught sight of her reflection and realised her face looked as red as it felt. She hoped Becker hadn't noticed, but how could he not? She turned on the cold water and splashed some on her face, trying to cool down. Falling asleep on the couch - THAT couch - was certainly not going to be easy, but better her than him. She was holding onto a vain hope that he hadn't noticed the similarities to the film, but she knew letting him sleep on the couch would definitely clue him in, and she really didn't want that!

After changing her clothes and brushing her teeth with her new pink toothbrush, which had seen a lot of use this past week, she went out to the living room. Becker had piled the blankets and pillows on the couch as he had the other nights, but thankfully he was nowhere to be seen. She made up her bed on the couch - THAT couch - leaving the afghan draped over the back. The image of that afghan - and what the movie characters had done both under and on top of it - was seared into her brain, and she thought leaving it in place might help her to forget.

She figured she'd have trouble falling asleep, what with her mind constantly going over the sex scene in her head, imagining that it wasn't just a movie. Yet it didn't take long for her to fall asleep.

And didn't take long for her to wake up again, as her mobile went off less than an hour later - what a time for an anomaly!

...

to be continued


	21. Ch 21 MIDNIGHT MUSINGS

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 21 – MIDNIGHT MUSINGS

…

"You're almost there. Take a right up ahead onto Heath Street."

It wasn't quite midnight, and somehow speeding through North London with Jess's voice in his ear wasn't exactly where Becker had foreseen his night ending up. Not that he'd actually expected to end up on his sofa with Jess, but he'd at least hoped for some pleasant film-inspired dreams and prayed that the awkwardness between them would've dissipated by morning. But no, Becker hadn't even been asleep long enough to achieve REM before getting the call, and unfortunately the memory of that couch scene had still been so fresh in both their minds that it'd made their drive to the ARC together painfully uncomfortable.

And Becker knew it was all his fault. Not the anomaly, of course – he didn't believe in jinxes like Connor - but he'd been the one to choose the bloody movie in the first place. What had he been thinking? Why hadn't he simply chosen that sobfest family drama Jess had suggested? She would've cried her eyes out at all the hospital scenes, Becker could've mocked her for weeks afterward, and everything would've been fine between them. But no, he'd had to go and choose a bloody spy thriller with the hottest sex scene in years, even without the real-life similarities. And now everything was going to be strained between them, which is so not what he—

"Turn, mate."

Matt's calm but firm voice brought the soldier back to the present, making him realize he'd just been about to speed past Heath Street. He turned the wheel quickly, the tyres squealing on the tarmac.

"I'm awake, I'm awake," Connor insisted, obviously having been kipping in the backseat until now.

"How 'bout you, mate?" Matt dryly asked Becker.

After glaring in reply, Becker noticed with some irony that they were just passing Hampstead tube station, which hadn't yet closed its gates for the night. What were the odds that tonight's anomaly would be situated at the one place where he could've gotten to without a car? It seems Jess needn't have stayed over after all!

However, if Jess noticed this irony, she didn't say anything. Instead, she instructed, "At the roundabout, take Spaniards Road. The anomaly is off to the northwest shortly after you enter the park, about 200 metres off the road into Sandy Heath."

Just what they needed – an anomaly in the middle of the brackish wilderness of the Heath in the dark. At least there shouldn't be many people about, nor wildlife, at this time of night. And if they were lucky, there wouldn't be an incursion, and they could simply lock the gateway and—

"Becker, look out!" Abby cried out practically in his ear as a creature suddenly appeared out of the foliage and ran in front of the 4x4.

The soldier slammed on the brakes and managed to screech to a halt mere inches away from the stunned animal, which had frozen at the sight of the headlights. As Becker fell back against the driver's seat, he realized he was looking almost eye-to-eye with a skinny bird-like creature, which meant it must stand nearly 1.5-metres tall. Its large eyes stared at the headlights a moment more before its long, spindly legs sped back into the trees from whence it came.

"What was that?" Emily asked.

"_Mononykus_," Abby explained. "It's an unusual type of theropod dinosaur from the late Cretaceous."

"Actually," Matt corrected, "scientists are still arguing over whether or not it might be an unusual type of Early Bird instead."

"Well, there's an easy way to find out," Connor offered. "If it gets the worm, it's definitely an early bird."

Becker rolled his eyes at the pathetic joke. "Regardless of what it is, shouldn't we go after it?"

"There's likely to be more than one," Matt explained. "_Mononykus_ were nocturnal, hunting lizards and small mammals at night, when they were less likely to be attacked by predators themselves. They're used to the dark, so they'll be able to see much better than we can."

"Ooh, night vision goggle time!" Connor said, sounding excited.

"And everyone needs to be careful," Abby instructed. "It's believed that, when in danger, _Mononykus_ would strike out with their strong single-clawed forelimbs."

_Just what I need_, Becker thought as he exited the 4x4, _to be clawed to death in the dark by a deranged emu._

Perhaps he and Jess should've stayed home together on the couch after all!

…

As the team prepared to deal with the incursion, Jess got an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Unlike Connor, she wasn't thrilled at the prospect of the night vision goggles. Of course, since there was no CCTV coverage of this part of the Heath, using the goggles meant that at least Jess would have something to monitor, but the whole idea made her feel uncomfortable.

Usually when the team was out on a call, Jess was able to be an omniscient presence, able to monitor the locale and the creatures through the CCTV coverage, directing the team to where they could do the most good. It was her job to watch over them, and her ability to do so helped save lives. And despite watching them on the camera feeds, plus monitoring their locations via their black boxes, Jess never felt like she was invading their privacy.

But monitoring the night vision goggles with somehow different. Instead of being able to see the entire area, Jess was reduced to seeing only what the team members could see. This severely limited her abilities at the hub, since she wasn't able to see creatures sneaking up on them. She had no foreknowledge of what to expect, and therefore was caught just as unawares as the team members themselves. It made her feel rather helpless, as her input could only help the others find the location of an attack after the fact.

And while the limitations of the goggles hindered her from doing a good job, that's not why it unnerved her so. The idea of monitoring their vision felt like such an invasion of privacy. Where else in life could one see exactly what another person sees? It wasn't necessarily a good thing to be so aware of what others chose to look at – for instance, she would've been perfectly content never knowing how often Connor stared at Abby's arse. But while Jess could cope with her unease in most cases by reminding herself that it wasn't personal and she was merely doing her job, she felt extremely uneasy when it came to monitoring Becker. It wasn't just that his constant scanning back and forth made her dizzy – it felt creepy knowing that she was practically inside Becker's head, seeing exactly what he was seeing.

Not that a part of her wouldn't like to actually be inside his head, to know what he was thinking. Maybe then she'd actually understand why he did the things he did, why he gave such mixed signals.

Because she was starting to think once again that he truly was interested in being more than friends. It wasn't just because she'd continued to see the Look, though that definitely was a factor. But random things he'd said tonight at dinner and afterwards definitely made her think that he enjoyed her company more than simply as a friend. And he'd let her hold his hand most of the day at the Pet Show - surely he wouldn't have allowed that it if he didn't like how her hand felt in his, right?

And when they'd awoken to the alert, it became clear that he, too, had noticed the similarities to real life inherent in the couch scene, which was both a blessing and a curse. In a way, it made her feel like at least she wasn't projecting, wasn't seeing things she simply wanted to see. However, it also made things even more awkward in the car ride to the ARC. Surely it wouldn't have been so awkward if he didn't think of her in that way, right? So perhaps the awkwardness had been a blessing in disguise because it was further evidence that he really did like her as more than a friend.

But so what if he did? He clearly wasn't planning on making a move anytime soon. He had, however, given her a key to his flat, she reminded herself, even though she was still at a loss as to what that had been about! She longed to discuss it all with someone, but Abby and Connor were definitely not to be trusted.

So what about talking to Becker himself? Why not simply set him down and lay her cards on the table, tell him directly that she was interested in pursuing a relationship with him?

But hadn't she already made it clear from day one how she felt about him? Her crush was obvious to everyone at the ARC, so surely he must be aware as well. And if he still hadn't done anything, there must be a good reason for it, though surely that reason couldn't be that he didn't like her since clearly he did. Oh, if only she had someone to talk to, someone to help her see things more clearly!

"Can you see everything, Jess?"

Matt's voice brought Jess back to the present.

"What? Oh yes, all the goggle feeds are coming through nice and clear." Jess's fingers flew over the keyboard as she aligned the various views on her monitors. "As I mentioned before, the anomaly is about 200 metres away – I can direct you to it."

"We need to go after the _Mononykus_," Abby insisted.

"Agreed," Matt said. "Becker, you and Emily go seal the anomaly; the rest of us will start trying to round up the creatures."

Jess watched on the feeds as the various team members turned and headed off in various directions.

"Okay, Jess," Becker began. "Where to now?"

Jess had many ways she could answer that question, but she merely instructed, "Cross the road and head into the bracken – there's a footpath about 100 metres in and you can follow it for a ways. I'll tell you when you're getting close and need to turn."

"Copy, Jess."

Jess sat back and glanced at the various camera feeds as the team members charged off into the darkness. Clearly it was going to be a long night!

…

[Author's note: Connor's joke about the "early bird" came directly from my father. As my parents and I were sat in the airport waiting to get on the plane to New Zealand, I was telling them about the scene I was writing and giving them details about the _Mononykus_. My dad replied with Connor's line and then laughed heartily at his own joke as my mother rolled her eyes and I blurted out, "That's so going in my story!"]


	22. Ch 22 NOCTURNAL NUISANCES

Bend It Like Becker

…

Chapter 22 – NOCTURNAL NUISANCES

…

Becker flipped up his night vision goggles to rub his eyes. He hated the lack of peripheral vision they afforded him, but on such a dark, moonless night, he didn't have much of a choice but to wear them.

Hearing a noise behind him, he flipped the goggles back down over his eyes as he whirled around, his EMD at the ready. However, instead of facing a tall Early Bird, he saw what looked like a bat fluttering about. It dove towards his head, and Becker barely ducked out of the way.

Swearing under his breath, he asked into the comms, "Are these bats prehistoric, too?"

"Bats?" Emily asked.

"Ooh, what do they look like?" Connor asked excitedly.

"What do you think they look like? They look like bloody bats!" How else was he to describe them?

"There were no bats during the Cretaceous," Matt advised, "which is where this anomaly leads. All the mammals from that era are quite distinct from any around today."

"They're probably Daubenton's Bats," Abby explained. "I've read that they live here in the Heath."

"Brilliant," Becker grumbled – something else he wasn't allowed to shoot.

"Bats can carry rabies, can't they?" Jess asked, sounding worried. "Be careful, and try not to get bit."

But Becker didn't have time to respond because he heard movement in the undergrowth. He turned and followed the noise, running through the trees in pursuit of the creature. As he turned a corner, he caught sight of a bushy tail as it disappeared down into a hole. A fox, Becker realised, scolding himself for not recognising the animal sooner.

"Was that a fox?" Jess asked.

Becker had forgotten that Jess could see everything he could, which was a bit unnerving. But before he could answer, Matt chimed in, "Foxes wouldn't be from the Cretaceous," as if Becker hadn't already figured that out.

The soldier glanced around, trying to get his bearings, when suddenly he heard a barking noise off to his left.

"Do these things bark?" he asked into the comms.

"Foxes?" Connor asked.

"No, not foxes! The incursion, these Early Bird creatures."

"Oh, _Mononykus_," Connor said, having caught on.

"Not that we know of," Abby answered.

"Of course, it's hard to be certain based only on the fossil records," Matt explained.

"Why?" Connor asked. "Didja hear something?"

Becker fought the urge to snap, "Obviously!" and instead gave a simple, "Yes."

"What kind of bark was it?" Abby asked.

"Yeah," Connor said, "what'd it sound like?"

Becker shrugged, even though it was pointless since no one was around to see. "I don't know. It sounded like...a bark."

"Well, what KIND of bark?" Connor pursued. "Was it a yappy _arf arf_ or more like a deep _rowff rowff_? Or maybe…?"

As Connor continued to do his ridiculous barking imitations, Becker heard the actual barking noise again and decided to pursue it himself. Creeping along slowly so as not to startle the creature, the soldier made his way quietly through the dark. He carefully approached a small clearing and then quickly wheeled around from behind a tree, his EMD held in front of him as both a weapon and a torch. The light shown not on an Early Bird but on a small deer instead, which froze where it was. Becker gave a frustrated sigh and lowered his EMD, and the deer darted away.

"…or was it more like a howling—"

Becker interrupted Connor to state, "Never mind. The barking wasn't from the creature. It was from a deer."

"A deer?" Emily repeated. "A barking deer? Are you certain?"

_No, I'm bloody making it up!_ "Yes, I'm certain – I saw it myself."

"I think it was a muntjac deer," Jess said.

Since when did Jess know anything about animals? "A what?"

"A muntjac deer, otherwise known as a barking deer," Jess continued. "According to this link on the Parks website, these deer are common in the Heath. They're nocturnal, too, which explains why they'd be out and about now."

Of course they're nocturnal, thought Becker. The entire park seemed to be awake tonight. And here he'd assumed that George Michael and friends would be the only nocturnal activities going on at the Heath!

"Deer wouldn't have been-" Matt started, but Becker finished for him.

"…Alive in the Cretaceous, yeah, I got that, Matt."

"There's the creature," Jess cried out. "Becker, he just took off to your left."

Becker wondered how she knew and then realised she must've spotted it through his goggles when he'd been busy rolling his eyes at Matt's comment.

Becker gave a frustrated sigh as he rushed off in pursuit of the creature.

…

"Jess, what time is it?" Emily's voice sounded through the comms.

Glancing at the monitor, Jess was surprised to see that a secure line was established betwixt her and the former Victorian. One of the features of the new earpieces, which Jess had demonstrated at the all-staff meeting less than 24 hours ago, was that those in the field could establish secure links themselves, something which previously could only be done at the hub. Jess was certain it would prove to be a useful feature for the team, though she wasn't sure that merely asking for the time was quite the intended purpose.

"It's nearly four," Jess replied. "Are you alone?" she asked, too sleepy and distracted by the goggle feeds to be paying much attention to the black box locations on the monitor.

"Yes, Becker still has me guarding the gateway," Emily replied. "Matt suggested that we keep it open so we can more easily herd the creatures back as we find them. Unfortunately, bats keep trying to pass through it, but I'm doing my best to stop them. They seem to be attracted to the light of the gateway, but at least they're keeping me busy and thus awake."

Jess couldn't help but smile at Emily's practical outlook. She considered explaining to her Victorian friend that bats actually use sonar to "see" in the dark and thus probably couldn't sense the anomaly's glowing light, but perhaps the middle of the night wasn't the best time for a science lesson. Instead, Jess offered, "I hope you were able to get some rest before we were called out. You didn't stay too late at the park practicing, did you?"

"No, only about another hour after you left. It started getting dark, so we thought it best to head home."

"Well, don't push Matt TOO hard – we need him well-rested for the match on Saturday."

"Certainly none of us will be well-rested for practice later today," Emily pointed out.

Jess sighed, knowing her friend was right, and quietly took a sip of her coffee, thankful to at least be inside on such a long night.

"So how about you?" Emily asked. "How was your evening? Did you enjoy your date?"

"Date?" Jess practically choked on her coffee - where on earth had Emily gotten that notion from?

"I overheard you at the park talking with Captain Becker about sharing a meal and then going to see a moving picture together. Matt's explained to me that one refers to such an evening spent between a man and a woman as a 'date' in this century. Am I mistaken with that definition?"

"No, you're not mistaken," Jess confirmed, "but that was definitely not a date." She hoped Emily didn't ask her why not because Jess didn't really have an answer.

"I am sorry," Emily was quick to apologise. "I was given the impression that Captain Becker was courting you."

If Jess had been taking a sip at that moment, the hub would've been showered with lukewarm coffee. Instead, Jess merely coughed in surprise before replying, "No, Becker is most definitely not 'courting' me."

"Oh. Why ever not?" Emily asked bluntly. "Neither of you is currently involved in a romantic relationship with anyone, and you both obviously care deeply for one another."

Jess wasn't sure where her friend was getting this "caring" idea from – probably Abby. Jess reminded herself never to confide in her flatmate again regarding affairs of the heart. "Becker and I don't 'care' for each other that way," she explained. "He and I are simply friends – nothing more."

"That's not true," Emily stated matter-of-factly. "You care more than simply friends. I've seen the way you look at him – you blush more than my childhood friends back home. And don't forget, I was there during the beetle incursion."

Jess shivered – she didn't like to be reminded of how close she'd come to dying that day, and she wasn't sure how that incident was in any way related to the current topic of conversation. "What about the beetle incursion?"

"Jess, I was there. I saw the look on Becker's face when he thought we were going to lose you – I've never seen anyone so scared in all my life, and believe me, I've been to some rather scary places. Becker was willing to risk his own life, and even the lives of all Londoners, simply to save yours, so don't tell me he only cares for you as a friend. His feelings clearly run much deeper."

Jess was speechless. Emily made a powerful point, and the practical girl was not exactly prone to hyperbole! So now Jess had proof that he did like her after all, despite what he'd said. She'd been longing to talk to someone about her situation, so why not Emily? She was liable to be discrete, especially if Jess asked her to be. And she was imminently practical – no doubt she'd be able to see through Becker's contradictory behaviour and make some sense of it.

Even if she did still cling to her old-fashioned Victorian concepts of courting!

"Oh, Emily, I'm so confused. Becker's been behaving so strangely these last few days, I don't know what to think. He said he only wanted to be friends, but then he gave me a key to his flat – oh, but please don't mention that to anyone! It's bad enough that Abby knows all about the Look, I can only imagine what she'd say if she found out about the key. And I have no idea what the key even means. And then there was the movie tonight – oh Emily, it was so embarrassing. I mean it was US, and it was totally his couch, and I can feel my face turning red now just thinking about it! He seemed weird about it, too, so I think it means he likes me, and of course you already said that he does, but I just can't be certain. So what do you think I should do?"

It felt so good to get it all off her chest, Jess gave a sigh of relief as she stopped her rambling. But then, much to her horror, instead of Emily's voice through the comms, she heard Becker's.

"Just leave it, Emily."

Omigod! He'd heard! Becker'd heard everything! Jess knew they should've done more tests on the new earpieces before putting them into service, but she'd gone ahead and handed them out tonight and now she'd totally put her foot in it!

She glanced up at the monitors, as if somehow expecting to see Becker's annoyance through his goggle feed, but instead only saw him shooing one of the _Mononykus_ towards Emily, who was standing near the anomaly-closing device. Jess watched numbly as the two herded the Early Bird safely through before she thought to check the comms info. By some miracle, she and Emily were still on a secure channel - Becker's comment had all to do with the incursion and nothing to do with Jess's pathetic rambling!

But just to be safe, she decided that perhaps she should wait to discuss things with Emily till they could be completely certain not to be overheard!

…

[Author's note: I totally did my research for this scene and yes, all of those nocturnal animals do live in Hampstead Heath. However, I'd recommend NOT doing an internet search for "Hampstead Heath nocturnal" because you'll mostly get articles about George Michael! :) ]


	23. Ch 23 RUNDOWN & REUNITED

Bend It Like Becker

…

Chapter 23 - RUN-DOWN & REUNITED

…

The sun was already starting to rise when the last creature was shooed back through the anomaly. Becker was thankful to be done with the night vision goggles, though he wasn't looking forward to having to work a full day after getting almost no sleep last night. Jess insisted that, instead of hurrying straight back to the ARC, they should stop and pick up some hot coffee and breakfast on the drive in. Unfortunately, she'd yawned over the comms during her request, which triggered non-stop yawning amongst Becker and the others until their return.

Becker kept himself busy and awake all morning by working on his incident report, but he was eagerly awaiting lunchtime, when he could have a lie down in the Quiet Room. Of course, his garage called at half eleven to tell him his car was fixed and ready for pick-up. Becker considered just leaving it be so he could still get in his noontime kip, but then he realised that would mean another night of Jess on his couch – THAT couch – so he ended up having her drive him to the garage at lunch after all.

By mid-afternoon, Becker was having trouble even keeping his eyes open, so he decided that a quick 20-minute kip in the Quiet Room would tide him over. However, as he opened the door and flicked on the light, he realised that Jess was already inside, fast asleep on the sofa. He quickly switched the light back off and then considered his options. He'd be no good at practice if he didn't at least try to get some sleep. And while Jess was on the sofa, no one was using the comfy chair - surely it wouldn't hurt anything to kip together in the same room, right? It wouldn't be as if he were invading her privacy or anything – they'd both be fast asleep. So he quietly shut the door behind him and collapsed into the comfy chair.

He was so run-down, he assumed he'd fall asleep immediately. Unfortunately, he could hear Jess's somnolent breaths nearby in the darkness. Although the couch she was currently kipping on wasn't anything like the couch in the movie last night, Becker's mind couldn't help but go there, thinking about how it might feel, after engaging in certain movie-inspired activities, to fall asleep with Jess wrapped in his arms, her warm breath upon his cheek.

But he shouldn't be thinking such thoughts. There were valid reasons why he shouldn't pursue anything more than friendship, though he was too tired at present to remember exactly what those reasons were. He just knew that he shouldn't be thinking such things and tried to push those thoughts from his mind.

As he started to relax and fall into a light slumber, though, all his defences fell away and he began to dream of Jess. However, his lips had barely touched hers before he was rudely awakened by a blaring alarm. He sat bolt upright, trying to get his bearings. It took him a moment before he realised the noise wasn't coming from the ARC itself but from Jess's mobile instead. By the light of its screen, he saw Jess pick it up and turn off the alarm. She yawned loudly and stood up, turning on the overhead light.

"Becker!" Jess gasped, obviously surprised to find him there. "Where did you come from?"

"Sorry! I just needed a quick kip, and I figured you weren't using the chair."

"Oh no, that's fine. I just…you startled me is all." She gestured to her mobile, adding, "I'm sorry my alarm woke you. Hopefully you can fall back asleep, yeah?"

Becker shrugged. He didn't want her to know that her alarm had so surprised him that the adrenaline would still likely be coursing through his veins hours from now. "It's okay," he lied. "I should probably be getting back to work now anyway."

"Are you sure? You're welcome to sleep more-"

Becker stood, certain he'd never be able to fall back asleep now, despite his desire to see where his dream might've taken him next. "No, really, Jess. I'm fine. The afternoon's almost over anyway."

He opened the door for her, and she stepped out, commenting, "I know we're all tired, but at least we'll have a referee at practice today."

"Yeah," Becker answered noncommittally, wondering how he was ever going to make it through practice in one piece, exhausted as he was.

…

When Jess arrived at the field after work, she saw Becker talking to Neela and a fit blond man. Even from a distance, Jess could tell the soldier's boyfriend was incredibly boy-next-door good-looking, not at all the tall-dark-and-handsome sort she'd imagined Neela to be interested in.

As Jess approached, Neela turned to her and began to introduce her boyfriend. "Jess, this is-"

"Chas Whigham!" Jess exclaimed, recognising him the instant she saw him properly.

Neela looked back and forth between them, surprised. "You two know each other?"

"Do we," he replied, grinning from ear to ear as he looked Jess over. "If it isn't Lil' Nosy Parker, as I live and breathe."

Jess could instantly feel her face turning red at the sound of the old nickname.

Neela gave her boyfriend a friendly swat on the shoulder. "'Nosy Parker'? How old are you? Twelve?"

"No, but SHE was," he insisted.

"I was fifteen!"

"Whatever. You were still a little runt, making us all look like right idiots." He turned to Neela to explain, "She was in a bunch of my computer programming classes at Uni – ran circles around the rest of us. Totally a maths genius. Luckily, she was willing to complete my assignments for me, weren't you, Lil' Nosy?" He winked at Jess, who could feel her face growing even redder.

Neela shook her head. "Why on earth would you help out this loser, Jess?"

"'Cuz she had a major crush on me," Chas stated with a glint in his eye. "Kept hoping that, by doing my homework, I'd eventually get around to asking her out."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jess teased coyly, since that's exactly what she'd been hoping for at the time. He was one of her first real crushes, and she could still remember how it used to feel when he'd smile at her as they sat side-by-side at the computer.

"Oh really?" he teased back. "So my name doodled all over your margins didn't mean nothing, yeah?"

Jess laughed. "As you were so quick to point out a moment ago, I was just a kid at the time. Clearly I didn't have any taste back then!"

"Well, you've obviously grown up now," Chas smiled, giving her an approving look up and down. "Filled out rather nicely, if I do say so myself."

Jess couldn't help but blush. She remembered now why her crush had lasted so long - Chas was a champion flirt and flatterer, and who doesn't like that when they're 15? Hell, Jess liked it now, even though she recognised it was all meaningless. Still, it was nice to be complimented directly for a change!

And Neela clearly didn't feel threatened by this reunion because she was quick to point out, "Oh, you ain't seen nothing, Chas. You should see her at work – she wears the shortest skirts imaginable. Has every guy in the place drooling."

"Ooh, I must see that," Chas insisted, turning to Jess to add, "You must invite me by sometime."

"Official Secrets Act," Becker said shortly, speaking for the first time since Jess had arrived. "No one's allowed at the ARC without special clearance."

"Becker here's the Head of Security," Neela was quick to explain. "Bit of a stickler for the rules, aren't you, Coach?"

"Ah well," Chas said with a wistful sigh. "I guess I'll just have to dream, eh, Lil' Nosy?"

"We should be starting practice," Becker announced coolly, pointedly looking at his watch.

"Oh, let me go get the bag of balls from my car," Jess said, suddenly remembering that she'd left them in the car in order to come over straightaway to meet their new referee.

"I'll give you a hand," Chas said, following her before anyone could protest. Once out of earshot of the others, he gave her a big smile. "It's really great to see you again, Jess. I always wondered what happened to you."

Jess shrugged coyly. "Nothing special. Grew up, got security clearance, went to work for a top secret government facility – the usual story. And you?"

"Became a computer programmer, made loads of money, met an amazing girl playing footy, and am having a grand old time."

"Yeah, Neela's brilliant. You're lucky to have her."

He nodded. "So what about that Becker fellow? Has he asked you out yet?"

Jess laughed. "Asked me out? What are you talking about?"

"Oh please, Jess. Didn't you notice the way he acted the instant I started flirting with you? Talk about jealous! Clearly he's smitten, he's probably just slow to make his move - probably intimidated by your brilliance." Chas got a wicked glint in his eye as he offered,  
>"You know, if you think my kissing you might get him to come around faster, just say the word – I'm sure Neela wouldn't mind me taking one for the team!"<p>

Jess couldn't help but smile. When she'd been fifteen, she would've given anything for one kiss from Chas, but now the idea only thrilled her with the prospect of making Becker jealous.

But she could never do that. "Thanks for the offer, Chas, but no. Things are weird enough between us as it is right now. And I'm not a big fan of those kinds of games."

Chas smiled. "Glad to see you haven't changed a bit," he commented as he chivalrously hoisted the bag of footballs from Jess's boot and tossed it over his shoulder. "You always were a sweet girl. It's good to see you doing so well for yourself. And don't worry, he'll come around – if you look half as good in your short skirts as you do in your gym clothes, I'm surprised you two aren't a couple already. But just remember – the offer for the kiss is still open, if you change your mind."

Jess flashed Chas a grateful smile as they headed back towards the others. Becker seemed to be watching their every move like a hawk, and Jess couldn't help but feel a bit pleased with his jealousy.

And clearly Chas was amused by it, too. Dropping the bag down at Becker's feet, he purposely said, "Okay, Beckham, let's get this practice started, yeah?"

Jess was glad looks couldn't kill, for she would've hated Neela to be deprived of such a fun boyfriend.

…

to be continued


	24. Ch 24 FOULS BEFORE THE FALL

Bend It Like Becker

…

Chapter 24 - FOULS BEFORE THE FALL

…

Becker had come to the conclusion that he definitely hated Chas Whigham.

First of all, Chas was such a stupid name. Not that Hilary was any great shakes, but at least Becker knew enough to keep it mostly to himself. Chas, on the other hand, insisted that everyone call him "Chas" instead of Charles, so Becker was enjoying calling him "Whigham" instead and watching him bristle.

Chas was also a terrible boyfriend for Ghani. Becker had no idea what she saw in the bloke – he definitely wasn't what Becker had envisioned for her.

"He's not what my parents envisioned either," Ghani had joked before practice, "but they've come around."

But Becker wasn't sure why anyone should come around, as clearly Chas was a prat. What sort of bloke blatantly flirts with another girl right in front of his girlfriend? Yet Ghani hadn't even seemed to bat an eye; in fact, she'd been the one to mention Jess's short skirts. Becker hadn't liked the way Chas had eyed him suspiciously when she'd said the guys at the ARC drooled over Jess - for all Chas knew, Ghani could've been talking about guys he'd never met. And so what if Becker enjoyed Jess's skirts; it wasn't as if he had a girlfriend that he should be paying attention to, unlike Chas. Ghani definitely deserved someone better, and Becker planned on giving her an earful about it tomorrow.

Though perhaps he'd best wait till Saturday, when they no longer needed Chas to act as ref.

And that was the third thing: Chas was a horrible ref. He kept blowing the whistle on everyone, especially Becker himself. Becker knew that it wasn't against the rules to simply be aggressive, but Chas seemed to call him on it every time he even got near the ball. And Chas had also given out so many yellow cards, not only to Becker but to Abby and Lester as well, that had it been a real game, they would've been kicked out long before. What was Chas trying to prove with his strict refereeing? Surely the refs wouldn't be this tough in the real game – if they were, then the team was definitely in trouble.

The whistle sounded once again, and Chas indicated a direct free kick for the other team.

"What?" Becker asked, storming up to the ref and confronting him face to face. "What was that for?"

"You charged your opponent."

"Are you joking? There's no way that was charging!"

The prat smiled smugly. "Abusing the ref can be an automatic red card, you know. If this were the real game, you'd be out."

"That's ridiculous!" Becker yelled. "You're doing this on purpose!"

Jess ran up and tried to get between them. "Look, let's try to remember this is just a game. And Chas, we really appreciate you helping us know what is and isn't allowed in the game, as we can't afford for anyone to get kicked out on Saturday." Jess looked pointedly at both of them. "Now, can you boys get along and let us get back to playing? Because this isn't helping!"

Becker glared at Jess, knowing she was right but annoyed that Chas had, in a sense, won. However, the soldier noted that the ref looked somewhat chagrinned as well, which made Becker feel a bit better at having been scolded.

Of course, he would've had a much better attitude about this entire practice if he wasn't so tired, but he was physically exhausted from his lack of sleep and was having some trouble even staying upright at this point. But he reminded himself that he need only get through the rest of practice, and then he could drive himself home to his empty flat and finally get a good night's sleep.

And if his subconscious chose to dream about Jess and the couch, where would be the harm in that?

But now was not the time for dreams. He needed to stay awake and alert for the rest of practice...if only to avoid the constant urge to punch Chas in his smug little face.

…

The instant Jess saw Becker fall, she knew it was serious. It wasn't just the way he fell, or the look of pain that crossed his face as he went down, but the fact that he didn't immediately jump to his feet and start arguing with Chas's call, as he'd done with every other call this entire practice, that made Jess realise that Becker must really be hurt.

She hurried to his side, even as the others continued to play.

"Are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

He frowned and nodded his head. "I'm fine," he insisted, starting to stand, but the moment he attempted to put any weight on his ankle, he cringed and fell back down.

"Becker, you're hurt," she cried before turning to the others. "Matt, Chas, stop the game! Becker's really hurt."

Emily scooped up the ball as the others all started gathering around.

Jess knelt down at Becker's side, her brow creased with worry, but he just glared at her, clearly annoyed. "Jessica, I'm fine," he grumbled as he once again tried to stand.

"Careful," Neela said as she and Chas hurried to his side and gently helped him back down to the ground. Chas reached for Becker's foot, but the soldier jerked it away, obviously causing himself pain as he did so.

"Becker, let him examine you," Jess scolded, figuring Chas and Neela knew all about footy injuries.

"Is it your ankle?" Chas asked as Neela began to take off Becker's shoe. Jess watched helplessly as Neela and Chas carefully moved his foot around, causing Becker to cringe.

"Is he going to be okay?" Lester asked as he and the others looked on.

Neela nodded. "I think it's just a sprain." She shared a look with Chas, who seemed to agree.

"You THINK?" Lester repeated Neela's words back to her. "But you don't KNOW?"

Neela shrugged as Chas answered, "There's a slim possibility he broke something, but I don't think so. His range of motion and the pain seem consistent with a sprain."

"Well, we need to be certain," Lester said. "We've got to get him to a hospital straight away."

"I'm not going to hospital," Becker grumbled angrily. "I'm fine."

"You're NOT fine," Jess said. "And we need to have you checked out. It could be serious."

"I'll drive him to hospital, yeah?" Matt said, stepping up. "Chas, is it? Grab his other arm and let's get him up."

"This is completely unnecessary," Becker grumbled even as Matt and Chas hoisted him to his feet. Once up, Becker tried to shrug off their support and put his foot down, involuntarily gasping in pain.

"Don't put any weight on it till it's been x-rayed," Chas instructed.

"And even then you'll want to stay off of it," Neela said as the guys started helping Becker towards the carpark.

"Keep us updated," Lester called after them. "And do whatever you need to do – we need him fit for the match."

Jess nodded and followed worriedly after the boys plus Emily, who had run ahead to unlock Matt's car. However, after a few steps, Jess remembered practice and realised she should probably stay. She turned to say something, but Abby approached, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"I'll sort things out here. You go with him, yeah?"

Jess gave her friend a grateful smile and hurried to catch up with Becker and the others.

"We'll need to elevate the leg," Chas was saying, having reached Matt's car.

"Then let's put him in the backseat, yeah?" Matt suggested, and Emily quickly opened the back door for them.

"Really, this is ridiculous," Becker complained, though Jess could tell he was still in quite a bit of pain. "There's no need for all this fuss."

However, no one was listening to him as Matt and Chas unceremoniously deposited him in the backseat, helped him prop up his ankle, and then closed the door on him as he continued to protest.

"I'll go with Jess," Emily said, steering Jess off towards her car as Matt got into his. "We'll meet you there," she called back over her shoulder.

Under Emily's direction, Jess absently got into her car, her mind focussed completely on Becker. What if it was serious? What if he was really hurt?

What if he couldn't play on Saturday?

…

to be continued


	25. Ch 25 ANKLE ANGUISH

Bend It Like Becker

…

Chapter 25 – ANKLE ANGUISH

…

Jess's mobile rang for the umpteenth time, and for the umpteen-first time, Becker frowned and gestured to the "No mobile phones" sign hanging on the wall of the private exam room. Jess, however, once again ignored him and picked up.

"Hello, Lester. … No, we don't know anything yet. … Yes, they took x-rays, just as you insisted. … No, they haven't told us the results. … Yes, he-oh, wait, I think I see someone coming. I'll ring you back as soon as we know."

As Jess rung off, Becker tried to peer around her to see who was approaching, but no one was there – obviously she'd lied to get Lester off the phone.

She turned back to Becker, a look of concern on her face. "So how are you feeling?"

"Bloody ridiculous," Becker grumbled. He couldn't believe they were all making such a fuss. Sure, it hurt, but it wasn't the life-or-death situation they were making it out to be.

Jess, however, frowned at his response. "I meant, are you in much pain? Do you want me to track down a nurse to get you some aspirin or paracetamol or something?"

"As I've said before, Jess, I'm fine." And he was, except for the pain radiating up from his ankle. He'd known the moment his foot twisted beneath him that he'd done something serious, but he still didn't want to admit it to anyone, most of all to himself. If it had hurt a bit less, he would've gritted his teeth and pretended he was fine, but the pain was more than he could stand and he hadn't been able to fake being okay. However, that didn't mean that he still didn't want to try.

Jess, unfortunately, wasn't buying it. Her forehead was creased with worry, and she hadn't left his side since they'd arrived at the hospital, though he was certain that Lester's instructions to make sure he received the best treatment possible had something to do with her attentions as well.

"Perhaps I'll go see if I can get you some—oh wait, here he comes," Jess announced excitedly.

Indeed, a moment later the handsome young intern (surely he couldn't be a real doctor) came into the room. Becker might've been jealous of the man, but Jess hadn't seemed to show any interest in him all evening, other than inquiring about Becker.

"So?" Jess asked the bloke worriedly. "Is it broken?"

"No, nothing's broken."

Jess breathed a huge sigh of relief, and Becker, too, gave a silent thanks.

"It appears to be just a mild sprain," the bloke continued, picking up Becker's ankle and slowly manipulating it, causing pain to shoot up his leg. "You say you got this playing football?"

Jess answered for him, which was good, since Becker wasn't sure how his voice would come out considering the pain he was now in. "Yes, we were playing footy in the park. His ankle just seemed to twist under him and suddenly he was on the ground, unable to walk."

"He's lucky, then," the young doctor continued on to Jess, as if Becker wasn't even in the room. "Most footy sprains tend to be high ankle sprains, which are way more serious and can take months to heal. With this one, he should be back on his feet in a day or two, provided he takes it easy and treats it with RICE."

"Rice?" Jess repeated back, surprised.

"RICE – Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation," he explained. "He should stay completely off his foot – no weight on it at all for at least 24 to 48 hours. He also needs to wrap up his ankle tightly – I can show you how that's done – and needs to keep it elevated with ice on it for the next day or so."

"RICE, got it. And what about the pain?" Jess asked. "Can you give him a prescription for something?"

Becker rolled his eyes – he didn't want the young doctor to think he was a wimp who needed such things.

Regardless, the bloke took a pad out of his chest pocket and started to scribble something down which Becker would no doubt be thankful for later. "Here, I'll write you a script."

"Thanks!" Jess gushed. "You've been brilliant!"

Becker gave a sigh of frustration – wasn't she overdoing it a bit? He just wanted this whole experience to be over so he could go home and get some much overdue sleep.

But somehow he got the sneaking suspicion that that wasn't going to happen.

…

As Jess put her key into the door of Becker's flat, she got an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach. Of course, part of that might've been due to the fact that it was nearly eleven and she still hadn't eaten any dinner, but mostly she just felt uncomfortable being here by herself, especially considering she was about to rifle through his drawers!

When it came down to it, this was all Lester's fault. Back at the hospital, as Dr. Boyd demonstrated to Jess how to wrap Becker's ankle, Lester called for another status update. When Jess explained the doctor's orders, Lester gave some of his own – Becker was not to be left alone for the next 48 hours because he simply wasn't to be trusted to take care of himself properly. Jess assured Lester that she would take care of everything, even though she knew Becker would protest, since that's all he'd done the entire evening.

As Dr. Boyd wheeled Becker out to the waiting room, Jess quickly filled in Matt and Emily on the situation.

"Lester's right," Matt said. "We need Becker for Saturday. Do you mind watching him, Jess?"

"I don't need watching," Becker grumbled from his wheelchair. "I'm not a child, and it's simply a sprain."

Jess rolled her eyes, ignoring him. "I'm happy to watch over him, but in that case, he should come to my flat. I've hooked up my computer so I can monitor the hub from home, so that way tomorrow I can watch him as I telecommute."

"What's telecommute?" Emily asked, clearly unfamiliar with the term.

"I don't need to stay at Jess's flat," Becker protested. "Just take me home."

Luckily Matt was ignoring him as well. "Sounds like a plan. But if he's staying over, he'll need overnight stuff, won't he? Clothes to change into and the like?"

"Jess can go pick up anything he needs," Emily said matter-of-factly.

"But I don't have my keys," Becker pointed out.

"Oh yes, I completely forgot to tell you," Jess said, having been suddenly reminded. "Abby collected your kit, including your keys, from the park and brought it all home with her, so you needn't worry, that's all taken care of."

"But won't you need his keys to get into his flat?" Matt asked.

"No," Emily stated, as if it were common knowledge. "Jess has her own key."

Jess silently gasped, hoping that Becker hadn't been paying attention. Not that he'd told Jess to keep the key a secret, but she didn't want him to think that she'd been off blabbing to everyone about it.

Matt, unfortunately, had been paying attention. "Why do you have a key to-?"

"So let's get him in your car, yeah?" Jess interrupted, hoping to change the subject. "I'll call Abby and Connor and let them know you're on your way, and I'll simply meet you there after I swing by Becker's flat."

"Just take me home," Becker insisted as they wheeled him out towards the carpark. "Really. I promise I'll stay off my ankle and keep it wrapped and elevated."

"And iced every few hours," Jess added, making it clear that he couldn't be trusted to be left alone.

Becker rolled his eyes. "Yes, and iced, too. Whatever. I can do all that myself."

"Sorry, mate," Matt said, addressing Becker for the first time. "Lester's orders."

So now here Jess was, letting herself into Becker's flat, feeling as if she were about to invade his privacy. He'd been so grumpy about the whole thing, she hadn't bothered to ask him what he wanted from home. She figured she'd just get a couple changes of clothes to last him till he was better, but that meant going through his drawers. The circumstances were completely different than what Connor and Abby had accused her of only last week, but it still made her feel uncomfortable.

Of course, walking into his living room and seeing his couch made her feel uncomfortable as well. She was glad that she'd insisted on him staying at her place because she could only imagine how awkward it might've been if the two of them had been trapped together here with that couch for several days.

Of course, it wasn't like he'd need his ankle for that kind of activity….

Jess shook her head, trying to get rid of that image, and instead focussed on getting his things. She'd brought in a few bags from her car, and the first thing she did was go into the loo and grab every hair-styling product she could find. Not that he'd need to style his hair, since all he'd merely be resting, but considering how he'd reacted the other day, she thought he might feel more comfortable having the styling products on hand. Besides, it was a way to procrastinate the more uncomfortable task at hand.

After packing up all his hair necessities, not to mention his toothbrush, she went into his bedroom. She'd slept in this very room less than a week ago, yet coming in here now, by herself, felt very different. She glanced at his chest of drawers and wondered where to start, not knowing what he kept where.

She decided to be systematic about it and opened the top left-hand drawer tentatively, almost as if she were afraid of what she might find inside. All she found, of course, were his socks, neatly matched and folded together. She reached in and grabbed out two pairs, stuffing them into one of the bags. She then remembered Connor's comment about guys keeping other items in their sock drawers. A part of her wanted to look deeper, to see if Becker might have a photo of her stashed somewhere underneath, but instead she slammed the drawer shut before she could give in to the urge. After all, she was not on some stalking mission; Becker was hurt, laid up at her flat, and she was merely collecting his things for him like a good friend should.

She opened the next drawer, where she found his shorts neatly folded as well. She stared at them a moment, somehow reluctant to touch them, as if that would somehow be crossing a line.

_Don't be silly,_ she silently scolded herself. _You're not twelve. They're just underwear. You handle Connor's shorts in the laundry all the time - what's the difference? Now grab two pairs and move on!_

She did so quickly, though she could still feel her face heating up as she slammed the drawer shut.

The worst of it now over, she proceeded to pack up a pair of jeans, two t-shirts, a button-up wool shirt (in case he got cold), and a pair of gym bottoms to sleep in. She then gave the room a once over, trying to see if there was anything else he might need, before grabbing the bags and leaving.

As she locked up his flat behind her, she realised that this wasn't exactly what she'd envisioned using the key for when he'd given it to her.

And she was certain it wasn't what'd he'd envisioned either.

…

to be continued


	26. Ch 26 PYJAMA PARTY

Bend It Like Becker

…

Chapter 26 - PYJAMA PARTY

…

Becker lay in the middle of Jess's bed, overcome by her sweet scent wafting through the room, certain he'd never be able to fall asleep, despite having been awake now for almost two days straight. And it wasn't only the _Eau d'Jess_ that was keeping him from nodding off - it was the faint taste of chocolate in the air from her scented candle; the feel of her warm flannel sheets against his skin; the dim green light of her shoe-shaped nightlight; the incessant ticking of her large pink Kit-Kat clock - in other words, it was the fact that every sense was being made painfully aware that this was where Jess fell asleep night after night that was making it impossible for Becker to relax and think of anything else.

Jess's living room would've been much preferred, but he'd simply been overruled.

"Becker, you're not sleeping on the couch," Abby had insisted earlier.

"Yeah, you already sprained your ankle," Connor, aka Mr. Obvious, had pointed out. "You don't need MORE pain."

"Really, I'll be fine here on the couch." Becker had tried to sound as positive as possible as he'd gestured to where Jess had elevated his ankle with numerous pillows.

But Jess hadn't bought it. "We all know that if you stay out here, you'll end up sleeping on the floor, and Lester would never forgive me if I allowed that. Now, you're sleeping in my bedroom - no arguments."

And thus here he was, trapped inside her sensually stimulating room, unable to sleep. Becker almost wished that his ankle hurt more so he'd have something besides Jess to concentrate on. Unfortunately, Jess had plied him with painkillers before helping him up to bed, including a nip of potent whiskey Lester had sent over "for medicinal purposes", so he could barely sense the pain at all. Of course, deep down he knew this was actually a good thing - the last thing they needed was for him to be injured and in pain on Saturday - but a little distraction would've been nice.

So Becker decided to provide his own distraction - he would systematically go through a mental list of all the girls he'd dated through the years and remind himself how each relationship had ended, each time because of something he'd done wrong, in an effort to convince himself that pursuing anything more with Jess would be disastrous. It didn't take long for him to realise, however, that his scheme wasn't working as planned. He was only up to Olivia, whom he'd briefly dated during year eleven, when it occurred to him that, rather than helping generate constructive arguments as to why he should maintain his platonic friendship with Jess, he was conversely making excuses as to why he wouldn't possibly repeat his previous mistakes this time around. So instead of distracting him from thoughts of Jess, this litany of past disasters was actually having the opposite effect. Becker wondered if perhaps the combination of painkillers and whiskey was causing him not to think rationally, but regardless, his scheme was not getting him to sleep any faster.

He gave a frustrated sigh, abandoning his plan. If he wasn't going to get any sleep anyway, perhaps he should simply get up. Not that he could physically roam about, what with his ankle injured as it was, but surely Jess had a book somewhere that he could read to pass the time.

He reached over and fumbled for the lamp on the bedside table. Once on, the light seemed incredibly bright, and Becker blinked several times to try to adjust his eyes. He was just getting his bearings and starting to look around for something to read when suddenly there was a soft knock at the door.

"Becker?" Jess's worried voice came through the door. "Are you okay? Are you in pain? Do you need anything?"

Becker sighed - he should've known she'd be watching him like a hawk.

"I'm fine, Jess." As she tentatively opened the door and poked her head around, he added, "I'm just having trouble falling asleep."

"Can I get you something then? A warm milk perhaps? Chamomile tea? More of Lester's whiskey?"

Becker smiled despite himself - Jess really was amazing, and that wasn't just the drugs making him feel that way.

"Perhaps something to read?" he asked. "I don't suppose you subscribe to _Shooting Sports_ magazine or the like."

Jess laughed. "Sorry. No books on military strategy either, unless you count Maggie's _Statecraft_." She paused, and suddenly her eyes twinkled merrily. "But I do have something that might help put you to sleep. I'll be right back."

She hurried out, and Becker could hear her quietly scampering down the stairs to the living room. In a moment she ran back up, throwing open the door to reveal her laptop in hand. Becker frowned, as he didn't think that, under the circumstances, looking at porn on the internet was really going to help him fall asleep any faster, but apparently Jess had other things in mind.

"This is guaranteed to put you out like a light," she said as she sat down on the edge of the bed, her fingers flying across the keyboard. After a moment she set the laptop on the nightstand, tilting the screen so he could see it properly from where he lay. She turned off the light and walked to the door.

"Sweet dreams. And just let me know if you need anything," she called back before pulling the door to.

Becker turned from her retreating figure and watched the laptop screen as the studio logos and anti-piracy advert played before the opening credits to _Bend It Like Beckham_ began. He laughed and lay back, ready to finally watch the movie in its entirety, for surely he could never fall asleep in her room tonight.

Surprisingly, it took almost five whole minutes before he was dead to the world.

...

It was nearly eleven a.m., Jess had been hard at work monitoring the hub for almost three hours, and she was still clad in her pyjamas - this telecommuting thing was brilliant! She justified her apparel by convincing herself that she didn't want to risk waking Becker by going into her room to get some real clothes, but deep down she knew that was only part of it. The last two nights had been so stressful, she deserved a relaxing morning for a change, and sitting here in her pyjamas as she sipped her coffee felt decadent and well-deserved.

Jess had checked on Becker several times during the night, but once the movie had knocked him out, he'd stayed fast asleep. She was frankly surprised that he was still asleep - he didn't strike her as the sort to have a lie-in - but she knew he needed the rest. Jess was certain his ankle sprain had been caused by the exhaustion brought on by staying up all night at the anomaly, so hopefully this rest would do him some much-needed good. And the longer he slept, the more he'd stay off his ankle, which he desperately needed to do in order to heal. She was so glad his injury wasn't more serious, though she worried that he wouldn't take care of himself properly and thus would do most damage. She was determined, therefore, to see that that didn't happen.

As was Lester. Like clockwork, her guv'nor rang again at precisely eleven for yet another status update.

"Nothing new to report - he's still sleeping."

"Still? But it's already eleven!"

"Yes, but you said it yourself, rest is the best thing for him right now."

"But what about the ice?"

"What about it?"

"He's supposed to keep his ankle iced every three to four hours, but when was the last time to you put it on? Surely much longer than that! You need to go wake him and put fresh ice on his foot straightaway - doctor's orders!"

"Yes, Dr. Lester," Jess teased, impressed at how much he cared. "But that won't be necessary because I hear him stirring right now. I'd best go check on him."

"And give him fresh ice!"

"Yes, and give him fresh ice. I'll call you back when I know more." And she rung off before he could give her any more orders.

Now Jess was not above telling white lies to get Lester off the phone, but this time she hadn't had to. She'd actually heard the door to her bedroom open and Becker hobbling down the hall to the loo. As she rung off, she heard the toilet flush and rushed up the stairs.

"How are you feeling?" she asked the instant he opened the bathroom door, causing him to jump. "Sorry. Didn't meant to startle you. So how's your ankle?"

Becker shrugged. "It's fine," he answered automatically, but as he hobbled into the corridor, he absently put some weight down on it and cringed, thus demonstrating how he was actually feeling.

"Careful!" she scolded, hurrying over and wrapping his arm about her shoulders to help him walk.

"Thanks, Jess," he said through a yawn. "So, what time is it? Can I, uh, take more pain meds yet?" She could tell he was trying to act nonchalant so she wouldn't notice how much pain he was really in.

"Yes, it's definitely time for more meds and more ice and maybe even some breakfast, though perhaps elevensies would be a more appropriate term," she teased.

"Elevensies?" Becker glanced down at her pyjamas, a look of confusion on his face. "It's eleven and you're still not dressed?"

"What do you mean? I'm dressed," Jess insisted with a smile, one that grew when she saw the Look momentarily cross his face. "Besides, this is what telecommuting is all about." Becker raised a mocking eyebrow and Jess quickly justified, "I'm still doing almost as much work here as I do at the real hub everyday, so why not stay in my pyjamas?"

Becker nodded. "Nice work if you can get it."

Jess smiled. "Exactly. Now as for you, we need to get you back on your back with your ankle elevated and iced." She paused, momentarily propping him against the jamb to her bedroom to ask, "So do you want to stay upstairs in my room or-"

"Downstairs," Becker quickly answered before she'd even finished. "Definitely downstairs."

"Downstairs it is, then. Now, do you want to get dressed before I help you downstairs, or do you want to stay as you are?"

"If you're staying in your pyjamas, I might as well stay in mine."

Jess nodded, for the first time taking in his bare chest emerging from his low-slung gym bottoms. She gulped and pulled her eyes away, her face starting to turn red.

Becker must've noticed her reaction for he added, "Though perhaps I should put a shirt on."

"Let me get one for you," she quickly offered, darting into her room and pulling out a black tee from the bag she'd packed for him last night. She took it to him and he pulled it on as he precariously balanced on his good leg.

Jess then rewrapped his arm about her shoulders and slowly helped him descend the stairs. She could tell he was in quite a bit of pain and realised she needed to ply him with meds as soon as she got him settled on the couch.

After giving him the meds, rewrapping his ankle, applying fresh ice (per Dr. Lester), and preparing breakfast (which consisted of some toast with marmalade, as there wasn't much else in the flat), Jess announced, "Now, in order for you to feel productive whilst I'm slaving away at the hub, I've got a surprise for you."

"Please don't tell me you're making me watch _Bend It Like Beckham_ again," Becker teased. "As Connor said last night, aren't I in enough pain? Besides, I already slept all morning; I don't need to kip all afternoon as well."

Jess laughed. "No, I've got a real coaching job for you."

Becker raised an inquisitive eyebrow, but Jess didn't explain further until she'd gotten it all set up.

"Here's the footage from last night's practice, just as I promised," she said as she turned on the telly and handed him the remote. "I already watched it last night, and I thought you could watch it now, and then we could rewatch it together later and discuss. Sound like a plan?"

Becker nodded and instantly began to watch the footage recorded with O'Rourke's camera. Once he was absorbed in his task, Jess snuck upstairs with her mobile so she wouldn't be overheard. She shut the door to her room and sat down on her unmade bed, which still retained a hint of Becker's musky scent. She breathed it in, momentarily losing herself in a daydream, before returning to reality and ringing Lester.

"He's in a lot of pain - way more than he wants to let on," she told her guv'nor. "But his ankle is now wrapped and iced and elevated, and he's resting quietly again."

"Just keep him resting," Lester ordered. "He's not to get up for the remainder of the day - tie him to the bed if necessary."

Jess couldn't help but secretly hope that it might come to that!

...

to be continued


	27. Ch 27 DARKEST DEPRESSION

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 27 - DARKEST DEPRESSION

...

When Becker awoke, all was dark and still...except for his ankle, which was throbbing in pain. He knew instantly that he didn't want to be awake and desperately hoped to fall back asleep, though it wasn't to see what happened next in his dream - he certainly could do without watching the prehistoric dragon attacking more children at the kindergarten. However, at this point, even that would be preferable to consciousness.

And things had been going so well earlier. Last night's sleep (which had lasted well into the morning) had done him a world of good, and he'd awoken refreshed and almost as good as new, once he took his pain meds. Jess had settled him on the couch, where he'd been looking forward to watching the footage of their practice. That is, he had been looking forward to it until he came to the realisation of just how horrible they really were.

After watching a few Premier League games with the team last Friday night, Becker obviously expected their practice to look a bit ragged by comparison. Unfortunately, a bit ragged would've been a huge improvement on how they actually looked. In fact, if he hadn't known they were supposed to be playing football, he might not have even recognised the sport!

It was like watching a farmer walk through a chicken pen with feed, with the entire flock following _en masse_ wherever the farmer went. Such was their team with the ball. In fact, at times Emily was the only player more than 2 metres away from it. No wonder they weren't able to make any headway down the field - there was never a teammate to pass the ball to because they were all crowded together.

And to add insult to injury (literally), Chas had been right. No, worse than that, he'd been being nice. Every call he'd made was indisputable, which was obvious even on the low-res video, and he hadn't even bothered to blow the whistle on half the fouls. It was depressing to realise that Chas wasn't the prat, Becker himself was, although that still didn't excuse Chas's flirting with Jess in front of Ghani. But in terms of the match itself, Becker definitely was the one who owed an apology, though he wasn't quite up for giving one just yet.

But those were just the start of their problems, for each and every one of them (except Ghani, of course) was playing terribly, as if they'd never seen a football before. A field full of 5-year-olds might've shown more skills! And where was the teamwork? Isn't that what this whole match was supposed to be about? Working together as a team? Yet everyone was so worried about getting control of the ball themselves that it was as if they didn't remember they had teammates. Becker was appalled to discover how many times he'd been scrambling to steal the ball when a fellow teammates was right there in a much better position to do so. He was clearly way too aggressive, and it was more than likely he'd be red-carded out of the game if he didn't improve. And Connor was more than likely to end up in hospital, since he seemed to be constantly taking a beating from everyone.

At least Emily was doing okay. She wasn't a brilliant goalkeep or anything, but she at least knew her job and was able to put her whole self into it.

Too bad Becker hadn't been able to do the same thing with his coaching. Instead, he'd been so busy stressing about his own playing, worrying about the Minister's wager, and obsessing about Jess over the past week that he'd failed to really concentrate on what should be his number one priority right now. He truly had failed them all. Hell, even Posh Spice could've done a better job of coaching! If it hadn't been for Jess stepping up and taking control half the time, they wouldn't even have gotten as far as they had. And while he was extremely grateful for all her help, it also made him feel even more guilty, as if he'd personally failed her as well.

So mid-afternoon, when Jess had cheerily asked if he wanted to rewatch the footage together so they could discuss it, Becker hadn't been up for it. He'd feigned tiredness, which wasn't entire manufactured, and Jess had quickly offered him assorted items - a warm blanket, more pillows, a nip of whiskey - to help him rest. He must've been asleep when she'd left for now the flat was silent, and through the dim evening light he noticed that she'd taped a note to the telly:

"Off to practice. Didn't want to wake you. We can go over tonight's footage when I get home. Rest and take it easy, and don't forget to take your pain meds at 6. If you need anything, just ring me. - Jess"

Becker heaved a grateful sigh - it was luckily time for more pain meds, a fact which his ankle had clearly been trying to tell him. He got up in search of his meds and hobbled first to the kitchen and then all over the living area, which didn't exactly help the throbbing in his ankle. He finally found the pills on the end table right where he'd been sitting, along with a full glass a water for him to use - he should've known Jess would set everything out for him.

He was about to sit back down when he remembered that he was also supposed to be icing his foot, so he hobbled back to the kitchen. As he closed the freezer door, he noticed the bottle of whiskey sitting on the counter. He grabbed it and took it back with him to the couch. Collapsing back into his seat, he elevated his ankle once again on the footstool and placed the bag of ice upon it. He then gulped down his pain meds, hoping they'd work quickly.

Though what did it matter? Even if his ankle was healed by Saturday, the team wouldn't be. Thanks to him, they would lose, and the Minister would be furious, and Becker would suddenly find himself on the dole, never to see Jess again.

Suddenly that whiskey was looking awfully good.

...

Jess shut the front door and ran up the stairs excitedly - she couldn't wait to tell Becker the good news. At the end of practice, Jess had struck a deal with Lester. She and Becker were to stay home tomorrow (with Jess telecommuting again), which had pretty much been a done deal from the moment Dr. Boyd had uttered the phrase "48 hours". However, Jess knew that Becker was liable to get more and more restless as he started to feel better, so she'd negotiated that he be allowed to attend practice tomorrow evening, not as a player but merely as a coach. That way at least Becker could get out of the flat and see people, PLUS he'd be able to coach the game in real-time. Sure, watching the camera footage was better than nothing, but actually being on the sidelines would surely be an enormous improvement.

But as Jess reached the top of the stairs, it suddenly struck her that none of the lights in the living room were on. Perhaps Becker was still dozing, and if so, she didn't want to wake him, knowing that he needed the rest. But as she tiptoed through the kitchen, Becker called out to her from the couch, "That you, Jess?"

"Yes, are you awake?" She could practically feel his eyeroll through the darkness. "Oh, right, of course you're are. I'm going to turn on a light, then - is that okay?"

"Whatever. It's your flat."

Jess switched on the light to see Becker slumped on the couch, dressed only in his gym bottoms, his hand hanging down limply beside the armrest grasping the now-empty whiskey bottle.

"Becker!" she exclaimed as she hurried over and tried to take the bottle away, but he held onto it tightly. "What have you done?"

"Followed doctor's orders, like a good little soldier: kept my foot iced and elevated and took my meds," he said, holding up the bottle, "just like you told me to."

Jess seized the opportunity to grab the bottle and then turned to look at his ankle, gasping when she saw how blue his toes were. She grabbed up the bag of ice, which was mostly water now, asking frantically, "How long have you had this on?"

Becker shrugged. "An hour? I don't know. What time is it?"

"Becker! You're only to ice it for 20-minute intervals - anything longer can cause damage to your nerves."

He shrugged again. "No more damage than what I've already done to the team," he grumbled.

"What?" He wasn't making any sense. "Here, let me put the kettle on for tea - we need to get some fluids in you so you don't dehydrate. Abby and Connor should be home any minute with the takeaway - it'll do you good to get some food in your stomach."

A momentary thought flickered through Jess's mind as she headed for the kitchen - she'd just been handed the perfect opportunity to collect data for her second experiment, the one she'd thought of the night after the pub when Becker had been so talkative. However, it then occurred to her that none of tonight's data could be used because another variable had, unfortunately, been introduced - he'd consumed not only alcohol but painkillers as well.

"Becker, you could've killed yourself," Jess scolded as she realised the implications. "You should know better than to mix whiskey with pain meds - it's dangerous."

"What does it matter? I'm gonna be out of a job by Saturday afternoon anyway."

He sounded so despairing, it was quite worrying. "Don't be ridiculous," she said. "No one's getting fired over a silly football match."

"Maybe not the match, but definitely the wager." Becker sighed heavily. "And I really loved this job. Not that I'm gonna miss the dragons, but I'll definitely miss your magical skirt." He sighed again, adding wistfully, "I really loved that magical skirt."

"Okay, Becker, you're really starting to scare me now." Jess hurried over to her computer, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she started to search for "symptoms of mixing painkillers and alcohol". As she clicked on various links, she didn't like what she saw.

"And your shoes, too," Becker continued. "I'm definitely gonna miss those strappy shoes."

But Jess wasn't really listening because she was too worried about what she was reading. She'd been right - painkillers and alcohol were a deadly combination, and Becker was definitely starting to show all the symptoms. Depression: check! Erratic behaviour: check!

"Do you feel dizzy?" she asked.

"Over your strappy shoes? Yeah, I guess you could call it that."

Dizziness: check! Jess felt she must check for the other items on the list as well, so she hurried over to Becker's side and put her hand against his bare chest, trying to feel if his heart rate seemed slow. It was hard to tell, though, especially when he grabbed her hand and she fell ungracefully into his lap.

"Will you go put on your magical skirt for me?" he asked as she tried to extricate herself from his lap without hurting his propped-up ankle. "I'd like to see it one last time."

"Oh! Sorry!" Jess looked up to see her roommates, standing frozen in the entryway. "Didn't mean to interrupt anything," Abby continued with a smirk.

"Yeah," Connor added. "We'll...uh...just be upstairs if you need us."

"I need you now," Jess said frantically, finally freeing herself from Becker's lap and rushing across the room. Lowering her voice so he couldn't hear, she blurted out, "Becker's drunk an entire bottle of whiskey!"

Abby smiled. "Ooh, data for your experiment, yeah?"

"Experiment?" Connor whined. "What experiment? Why didn't you ask me to help with your experiment?"

"There's no experiment," Jess insisted. "And I'm really worried. Mixing alcohol with painkillers can be fatal! I think we need to take Becker to hospital."

Abby and Connor came back into the room and followed Jess over to where Becker lay sprawled shirtless on the couch.

"Hey, Becker," Abby said, sitting down next to him on the couch and observing his reactions carefully as she pointedly asked, "So...what's going on?"

Becker rolled his eyes and gave her a withering look. "Do I really have to answer that?"

"Yep, he's fine," she announced, hopping to her feet.

"But he's not. He's depressed and dizzy and he keeps going on about some magical skirt," Jess insisted, her voice starting to crack as she got more and more hysterical. "And he might've gotten nerve damage from the ice. Or even worse, what if his nervous system continues to slow down? That's one of the symptoms, you know. It could slow down completely and he could stop breathing and his heart could stop and he could DIE!"

"Jess!" Abby said, grabbing her flatmate by the shoulders in an effort to calm her. "He's going to be fine. We'll get some food in him and keep him hydrated and watch him to make sure that he doesn't get worse."

"But what if-"

Abby cut her off. "And if he starts to deteriorate, we'll take him to hospital then, okay?"

Jess nodded. "Okay. That sounds...that sounds good."

Abby sat Jess down on the other end of the couch. "Why don't you turn on the telly and try to find something good for us to watch, and Connor and I will go serve you both up some food."

Jess nodded and took a deep breath, trying to calm her frenzied nerves. Watching the telly was certain to help her relax. But glancing around for the remote, she couldn't find it anywhere. It didn't seem to be on the couch...or the end table...or the comfy chair...or the floor! Where could it be?

"I can't find the remote!" Jess blurted out, nearly hysterical again.

"Don't worry about it," Abby said, grabbing Jess by the shoulders and walking her back over to the couch. "We'll look for it later. For now, tuck in."

Jess stared at the plate Abby had handed her, but she'd worked herself up into such a state, nothing really looked appetising. She picked up a prawn cracker and began to absently move her food about on her plate so it'd appear like she was eating. Abby and Connor kept up a cheerful conversation, but Jess was still so worried about Becker that she wasn't really paying attention.

Eventually, when the others were nearly done with their meals, Jess realised she should try to get rid of at least some of the food on her plate. She looked to Becker, who was still sat next to her on the couch, and offered, "You want my prawn cracker?"

She knew something was off the moment he turned towards her. But when he shook his head, turning down a perfectly good krupuk, she knew it was really serious.

"Becker? Are you okay?"

"I don't...feel so well," he admitted.

Jess gasped and instantly scooted closer to him. Placing first her hand and then her ear against his chest in an attempt to feel his heartbeat, she frantically asked, "Are you having trouble breathing? Should we take you to hospital?"

And that's when he threw up all over her hair.

...

to be continued


	28. Ch 28 LATENIGHT LECTURE

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 28 - LATE-NIGHT LECTURE

...

Becker's head was pounding, and he felt as if his guts had been turned inside out, which essentially they had. This was not like any hangover he'd ever had, and he was now being made painfully aware of just how bad an idea mixing whiskey with pain meds had actually been. He was miserable and hadn't the will to live, especially as he knew the memory of puking on Jess hadn't been a dream.

He eventually opened his eyes and saw Abby sitting quietly by the bed, writing something in her journal by the dim light of the bedside lamp. Although he didn't imagine it possible, Becker suddenly felt even worse than a moment before. The fact that Jess wasn't the one sitting there just confirmed his biggest fear, that he'd gone and ruined everything, that she'd never speak to him again. Of course, he couldn't exactly blame her after what he'd done. He closed his eyes again, letting slip a quiet moan of despair.

This caught Abby's attention, and she set aside her journal. "Hey." He opened his eyes to find her offering a sympathetic smile. "Good to see you back."

Becker shook his head, which didn't make him feel any better. "I'm not back; I'm still in hell."

"Well, regardless, I'm going to make you drink this entire glass of water," she stated, grabbing it from the nightstand. "We need to keep you hydrated."

Becker closed his eyes. "Can't you just let me die?"

"No," she said, putting her hand on the back of his head and lifting it just enough so she could put the glass to his lips. Once he'd drained the glass, she let his head fall back onto the pillow. "I'll go get you some more in a minute."

Becker groaned. He hadn't wanted the water, but at least it'd helped partially relieve the hideous after-taste in his mouth.

"I won't even bother to ask how you're doing," Abby teased. "But I'm glad you were able to sleep. We had a terrible time getting Jess off to bed; we eventually put Bailey's in some decaf, which seemed to work like a charm." She smiled meaningfully at Becker. "You might remember that for future."

Becker figured he'd never have a chance to use that knowledge, since Jess was unlikely to ever come near him again. First he'd ruined the team, and now he'd ruined their friendship. "Jess must hate me," he mumbled to himself.

"Are you kidding?" Abby said. "She was so worried about you, we couldn't get her to leave your side. Connor had to practically force her into the shower." She smiled. "In a way, you know, you're lucky."

Becker gave a derisive snort. "Lucky?"

"Jess was insistent we take you to hospital, but we were able to convince her that all they'd do is pump your stomach, and you'd already done a brilliant job of that yourself."

Becker groaned. Abby was entirely too cheerful, and it was only making him feel worse.

"You should've heard the scolding Lester took," Abby continued. "I hope you enjoyed that whiskey, because you'll never have any again, if Jess has her say."

The mere thought of the whiskey made Becker nauseated all over again. He propped himself up on one elbow, his eyes frantically searching for a place to vomit, and Abby quickly held up a small bin. After a moment, though, the feeling passed, and he lay back again, closing his eyes.

"What time is it?" he asked, feeling completely disorientated by everything that had happened.

"Time you stopped being an idiot and told Jess how you really feel about her."

Becker opened his eyes and stared at Abby, aghast.

"Oh, you mean the actual time," she teased, looking at her watch. "It's nearly two. And definitely time to get you more water before you fall asleep again." She stood up, pointedly placing the bin directly next to the bed in case he needed it whilst she was gone, before heading for the door. "I'll be right back."

After she left, Becker lay there, staring up at the ceiling, trying to force away the throbbing in his head so he could consider Abby's words. What exactly did she want him to tell Jess? That he found her brilliant and kind and beautiful and sexy and amazing? That he thought about her constantly? That every time he looked at her, he longed to recreate the spy thriller's couch scene? Because what would be the point? They couldn't get together anyway. And after last night, he was certain she'd never want to. So really, why even bother?

"Here we go," Abby said, reentering the room with the glass filled. "Time to drink up."

This time Becker actually sat up, with Abby helping him prop pillows behind his back.

"And I meant what I said," she went on, sitting back down as Becker took a long sip. "You've just spillt your actual guts to her, now you need to do the same in a metaphorical sense. Just be a man and tell Jess-"

"Abigail, please," Becker said, shooting her a withering look. "Now is not the time for this."

"Sure it is," she said with a smile. "You're a captive audience, clearly in desperate need of a good talking to. Consider it some... friendly coaching from a mate."

Becker groaned. "Abby, I just, as you so elegantly put it, 'spillt my guts' - my insides are raw, my head is pounding, and I'm really not up for a lecture."

"How about a question then?" Abby leant in closer, a look of curiosity upon her face. "So tell me - what on earth is this 'magical skirt' you kept going on about?"

Becker moaned, closing his eyes as he leant back against the headrest. He couldn't believe he'd brought that up last night - Jess must've thought he'd gone insane.

"It's her yellow frock, ain't it?" Becker opened his eyes to find Connor's head poking around the bedroom door. "The one she wore about a week ago, yeah? I know exactly the one you mean!"

Abby looked incredulously back and forth between Becker and her fiance. "You mean her yellow SKORT?"

"Skort?" Becker repeated back blankly.

"What's that?" Connor asked.

"Never mind," Abby sighed, rolling her eyes. "I'd hate to ruin the illusion for you both."

"Thanks, Ab," Connor said, walking into the room and giving his fiance a quick peck on the lips. "By the bye, your shift's over."

Abby glanced at her watch. "Oh, you're right! Thanks." She turned and smiled at Becker. "Saved by the bell, I guess. But don't think I'm through with you." She then stood up, grabbing her journal before heading for the door, instructing Connor, "He's just had two glasses of water, but you might try to get another few down him before he falls back asleep."

"Right-ho!" he said, taking the seat she'd just vacated.

"G'night," she said with a smile before disappearing out the door.

"Sleep tight," Connor called after her. "Don't let the _Arthropleura_ bite."

Becker, however, was still fixated on Connor's earlier statement. "Shift?"

Connor nodded. "Jess wouldn't go to bed until Abby and I promised we'd keep an all-night vigil. Poor girl - she was near hysterical with worry. She's still convinced your heart's gonna stop or something."

It didn't stop, but Becker felt his heart skip a beat, realising that Jess still cared, despite everything.

He also realised that he desperately needed to avoid being alone with Abby in the near future, for the prospect of sitting through another of her lectures was terrifying.

...

Jess awoke to a strange sound. At first her sleep-addled brain couldn't quite place it, but she could tell whatever it was kept getting closer. Finally she was conscious enough to decipher what the noise must be - Becker hobbling down the stairs by himself. Becker! The anxiety and worry that had practically overwhelmed her last evening came instantly flooding back, mixed with an underlying sense of relief that, if he was hobbling down the stairs, he'd at least survived the night. She leapt off the couch and hurried over to the stairs only in time to help him down the last step.

"Becker, you shouldn't have tried to maneouvre the stairs by yourself," she scolded as she helped him get settled on the sofa with his ankle propped up. "Why didn't you ask Connor or Abby to help you down?"

Becker frowned. "They left for work over an hour ago. Didn't you know?"

Now it was Jess's turn to frown. Her flatmates had promised they'd keep a constant vigil on Becker, yet they'd up and left him without a second thought? What if something had happened? She never would've forgiven herself if she'd been down here fast asleep as he'd...

Becker must've read her mind because he quickly explained, "They were going to wake you before they left, but I convinced them not to. I figured that, after everything, you could probably use the rest."

Jess sat down on the couch beside him, relieved that her friends hadn't simply neglected their duties. But her anger then turned to guilt as she thought about him hobbling down the stairs by himself. "You could've woken me," she insisted, though not very convincingly as she finished with a huge yawn.

"Actually, my ankle is feeling much better this morning...especially compared to the rest of me."

"Oh, can I get you something?" Jess asked, feeling bad that she hadn't already offered. "Some water? Pain meds? A bin to vomit into? Let me at least get you-" She started to stand, but Becker grabbed her hand and sat her back down.

"Jess," he said, squeezing her hand. "I just...I am SO sorry!"

Jess shrugged it off, simply glad he was alive. "It's okay. Really. It's not your fault. And it's actually a GOOD thing that you threw up because-"

"Jessica! I'm not sorry about that. I mean, I AM, but that's not what I..." He gave a frustrated sigh before taking her other hand. "I'm sorry about drinking so much in the first place. I just...," he looked away, as if he couldn't meet her gaze as he continued, "I got so depressed yesterday about the team, I just felt it was all so...hopeless."

Jess frowned. "Why?"

"Why?" Becker looked back at her, incredulous. "Have you not watched the footage?"

"Well, sure, we're a bit ragged, but-"

"No, Jess. Ragged is miles ahead of where we are. And it's all my fault. I've let everybody down. I'm a terrible coach."

"No you're not," Jess insisted, squeezing his hands back, trying to reassure him. "It's not your fault you've never coached footy before. You've been doing the best you can, we all have. And we're getting better." She flashed him an encouraging smile. "Besides, we've got all day to watch the footage from the last two practices and figure out strategies. And with you and me working together, I'm sure we'll be able to come up with more ways the team can improve."

Becker frowned. "All day? Don't you have work? Shouldn't you be monitoring the hub?"

Jess shook her head. "Lester gave me the day off. Guess he felt a bit guilty about everything, since last night's...mishap was ultimately due to HIS whiskey. So he's got Ravi covering my shift for the day." She stood up, only realising as she let go of Becker's hands that he'd still been holding on. She started towards the telly, saying, "I've got the footage right here. It won't take me a minute to set up."

"Jess, I really don't think I'm up for-"

"Oh, you're right," Jess quickly corrected, realising how impolite she sounded. "I should cook us some breakfast first." When she saw the colour drain from his face, she remembered that food probably wasn't at the top of Becker's wants right now. "How about I just get you some water and maybe some dry toast? Do you think you can keep that down?"

Becker nodded tentatively as the look of intense guilt returned. "Jess, I'm so sorry I threw up on you last night."

"No worries," Jess said cheerfully. "Just think - it'll be a funny story to tell our-" She stopped herself before she uttered the word "grandkids" and instead finished with, "friends."

Becker nodded, returning her smile with a cautious one of his own. She was reminded once again of just how lucky she was to even see that smile this morning, considering how close they'd come to losing him last night. She was so overcome with relief that he was okay, that he hadn't died from his stupid mistake, that without thinking she leant over and gave him a quick peck on the forehead before hurrying off to the kitchen.

And she hoped that the retching that followed a moment later had more to do with the alcohol remaining in his system than her unintended display of affection.

...

to be continued


	29. Ch 29 PROPER POSITIONS

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 29 - PROPER POSITIONS

...

It was almost noon before Becker felt completely human again. Jess spent all morning fussing over him and making him drink gallons of water, since she was worried that he was dehydrated. He clearly wasn't because he was constantly having to make trips to the loo. On his third trip up the stairs, he accidentally put his weight down on his foot and happily found that his ankle no longer hurt, so at least something was going well.

Make that two somethings - he and Jess were actually making real headway on their analysis of what to do with the team. Jess was right - last night's practice had gone much better, no doubt in part due to Becker not being there to argue with Chas over every call. The overall number of fouls had decreased, not only because of Becker's absence but because Chas had actually reviewed the rules with the team before play had begun. Abby and Lester were still too aggressive, but they had far fewer whistles blown on them now that they had a better grasp of what was and wasn't considered legal.

However, fouling wasn't their only problem.

"See how everyone simply follows the ball," Becker pointed out as they watched the footage together. "We've got to figure out a way to prevent that from happening."

Jess nodded. "And you're right about Emily really attacking her job as goalkeep. Maybe that's what we need to do with everyone else as well."

"Last time I checked, there was only room for one goalkeeper per team."

Jess laughed. "I don't mean that. I mean we need to give everyone a job to do. Something they can focus on, and hopefully something that they're relatively good at. That will help them feel good about their playing as well as giving them something to do besides mindlessly following the ball. I mean, that's what we do at the ARC, right? I'm not out there fighting the creatures - most of the time, anyway - because my skills are best served at the hub. And Connor is a scientific genius; Abby's great with animals; you...well, you're shooting champion of the world." She couldn't even say it with a straight face.

Becker nudged her playfully. "Okay, okay, I get your point. And you're right, as usual. But what kind of 'jobs' can we give them?"

Jess shrugged, jumping to her feet. "There's all sorts of different positions - that's what the internet's for. I'm sure there are sites that can tell us what skills are needed for each position and then we can assign them out accordingly."

Becker was thankful that Jess wasn't looking his way because his mind had gone someplace other than footy when she'd mentioned "different positions". He then flashed back to his late-night lecture from Abby and guessed that his mate probably wasn't suggesting he confess those sorts of feelings to Jess!

Instead of sitting down at her computer desk, Jess grabbed her laptop and returned to the couch, sitting back down next to him. "Let's see what sites we can find. I can't believe we didn't think of this earlier. Reading up on playing the sport is all well and good, but we really should've been studying how to assign positions and stuff instead."

Jess's fingers flew across the keyboard. Once she'd loaded several pages, she scooted closer to him and turned the laptop so they could both see the screen.

After much reading on assorted websites, many aimed how to coach kids' teams, they finally came to the conclusion that the best formation for their team, based upon the way they had to scrimmage against themselves at practice, would be a modified 5-3-2, with five defending backs (one playing as sweeper in the centre), three midfielders, and two forwards. Actually, it was Jess alone who had come to that conclusion, for Becker was having trouble concentrating on anything other than the fact that Jess's thigh was pressed up against his. Though that's not entirely true because he was also thinking about how soft Jess's lips had felt when they'd touched his forehead that morning and how those same lips might one day feel pressed against his own.

"I think we should assign the defensive positions based on which offenders they'll primarily be up against at practice," Jess said, hopping up from the couch and breaking the thigh-touching spell. "Then we can always move people around later, yeah?"

She came back in a moment with a notepad and several coloured pens and started drawing up potential arrangements of their players. She was still sat next to Becker, but their thighs were no longer touching. Although he was somewhat disappointed at this new seating arrangement, he realised it was probably for the best since he could now concentrate more clearly on the task at hand.

"Wait," Becker said, pointing to the label Jess had just assigned Scott. "If he's there, doesn't that make him the left midfielder, not the right?"

Jess shook her head. "No, the sides are named based on the direction when facing the...oh, you're right," Jess said, flipping her drawing around so that the goal was now at the top of the page. "It's so confusing when we're playing against ourselves!"

After drawing up many line-ups, they finally settled on one that would work. Abby and Ghani would be out front as the forwards; Becker, Scott, and O'Rourke would be midfield, and the rest would be defensive backs. Becker didn't bother pointing out that this was actually the same division as when he'd first split the team on Monday, since he assumed Jess no longer had a problem with it. And after much deliberation, they'd decided to make Matt the sweeper - thanks to all of the extra practices Emily had been forcing on him, he'd actually become quite adept at ball-handling and would make a good last line of defence.

The only real problem was where to put Connor. While everyone else seemed to have some skills, Connor only seemed capable of getting in the way. It was truly as if a giant target were painted on his forehead, for every single player on the team (including Emily) had crashed into him at some point. For the time being they placed him as the right back, hoping that having someone as aggressive as Lester next to him, and Matt behind as sweeper, would help prevent Connor from causing too much damage.

Once the positions were settled, Jess decided it was time for some lunch. Becker still didn't feel up to much, so he stuck with dry toast again, which he managed to keep down this time.

"Now that we understand a bit more about the different positions," Jess began after clearing away their dishes, "perhaps we should watch more of the Premier League games. Seeing how it's done in the real games might help us figure out a way to help explain it to our players."

It was a good plan. But even though it wasn't _Bend It Like Beckham_, Jess was clearly so exhausted from the stress of last night that she dozed off after only twenty minutes. Becker's arm was trapped behind her, which meant he couldn't get up to grab a blanket to put over her shivering form.

_I guess I'll simply have to keep her warm myself_, Becker thought to himself with a smile as he tenderly drew her in closer to him. After all, it was the least he could do after vomiting on her last night!

And he would've loved to revel in the feeling of holding her so close, his mind dwelling on the feel of her lips, but he, too, was asleep in a matter of minutes.

...

Practice tonight was going infinitely better than the previous ones. Before starting, Jess and Becker had explained to everyone their newly assigned positions and exactly what was expected of them. They pointed out that everyone had been assigned their position based on their individual skills, and each player had a very specific, very important job to do. Jess noticed the approving smiles they got from Chas and Neela, so she knew they were on the right track. She hoped, however, that Becker hadn't realised that their division of players was the exact same split that had caused her to have such a fit at the start of the week. Of course, now there was real purpose behind these assignments, so hopefully no one would feel singled out.

Unfortunately, Connor did end up getting singled out, again and again. Thanks to Becker sitting on the sidelines, where he was able to really watch the game and make suggestions and changes as they went, Connor was constantly being placed into different positions. It seemed like, no matter where on the field he was or which offensive players he was up against, Connor was constantly getting in the way. He'd played most of the game with tissue wadded up one nostril or the other, and Jess could only imagine how many bruises he must have by now. So after Scott ran him over for the zillionth time and Becker called Chas to stop the game (since he was actually calling him "Chas" and not "Whigham" tonight!), Jess wasn't surprised when Becker announced that Connor was being moved again. However, she was shocked at the position he was being moved to.

"A forward?" Jess repeated blankly, as if she'd misheard.

Becker nodded. "We're going to completely switch things around," he explained. "Instead of playing a 5-3-2 formation, we're going to try a 4-3-3."

But everyone still seemed confused, Connor most of all.

"So I'm gonna be out front, like Abby and Neela?" he asked, clearly not liking the idea. "I'm supposed to, like, score and stuff?"

"Yes, but in a different way," Becker confirmed. He then turned to the referee, asking, "Now Chas, if I understand the rules correctly, if an offensive player gets fouled within the penalty box, he gets awarded a free kick, correct?"

Chas gave a tentative nod. "A penalty kick is awarded, yes, if a defensive player commits a foul within his own penalty box. It's the location of the offence, and not the position of the ball, that determines whether a penalty kick or simply a direct free kick is awarded."

Becker looked confused, and Jess was glad she wasn't the only one. She quickly asked, "So what's the difference? Between a penalty kick and the other one, I mean?"

Neela jumped in to explain, "A penalty kick is a kick from the penalty spot, which is about 11 metres out, with the goal defended only by the keeper, whereas a direct free kick is simply from wherever the foul occurred and the opposing team can be in front of the goal, as long as they keep a minimum distance."

Becker smiled and then turned to Connor. "Have Neela remind you of the offside rules again. And then I want you to just concentrate on getting into the penalty box as often as you can."

Connor nodded. "So what your saying is I'm basically the team's punching bag?"

Although Jess understood the logic behind Becker's plan and thought it made good sense for the team, when put that way, it did seem a bit cruel. She was about to comment when Connor continued, "I can probably do that."

"Brilliant," Becker said. "Okay, everyone, let's take it back from the centre line again."

Jess flashed Becker an approving smile before running out to her place. As they began to play again, Jess tried to get back into her defensive mindset. She wasn't particularly good at defence, but she was certainly better at it than offence, and she was thankful to be able to concentrate on just one thing. What she lacked in aggression, she made up for in stamina, which was the exact opposite of Lester, so the two of them worked well together. Becker had obviously noticed this for he'd continued to keep them next to each other throughout all the various formation changes.

Now, as Neela came dribbling towards them, Jess saw Abby make a run off to the side, obviously trying to get in a good position to score. Jess instantly followed, hoping to stop any pass before it got to her.

Instead, Jess stopped Connor. She hadn't even seen him until she was suddenly shoving him and they were both tumbling to the ground.

"Oh Connor, I'm so sorry," Jess said as they disentangled their limbs. "Are you okay?"

Connor nodded and took Jess's proffered hand. "Yep, I'll be fine - my nose ain't even bleeding."

Jess gave Connor a friendly pat on the shoulder, finding it pathetic that that's how he was now gauging his well-being.

"So a penalty kick is awarded," Chas called out. "Now, who wants to take it? Just to be clear, it doesn't have to be the person who was fouled."

"It doesn't?" Connor asked, and Jess couldn't tell if he was relieved or disappointed. She felt bad, both for hurting him and for the fact that he was liable to take quite a beating on Saturday. However, she suddenly remembered how Connor had done surprisingly well with the passing drills last week when he'd merely thought of them as a physics experiment, so she turned to him and asked,

"Like to give it a shot?"

Connor shrugged. "Sure, what can it hurt? Besides me, of course," he joked as he headed over to the penalty spot.

...

to be continued


	30. Ch 30 POSTPRACTICE PARTICULARS

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 30 - POST-PRACTICE PARTICULARS

...

As practice drew to a close, Becker felt as if a huge weight had been lifted. The players were actually working together as a team, and they even looked like they were playing footy! Becker was no longer despairing about the upcoming match the way he had been yesterday when he'd gone for the whiskey. Of course, he had no idea whether they had any real chance of winning on Saturday, since he didn't know what the RSID team would be like, but at least his team wouldn't make complete fools of themselves.

Once Ghani finished with the cool-down, Jess sent everyone off with a "Good job, everyone. And remember - only one more practice, and then it's match time."

Becker felt his heart stop. Only one more practice? He'd completely lost track of the days, what with the all-night anomaly, his ankle, and last night's whiskey/pain meds disaster. Perhaps he shouldn't have felt so relieved after all.

But Chas and Ghani seemed to think things were under control.

"The team's looking a thousand percent better," Chas commented as he and his girlfriend approached.

"Yeah," Ghani concurred. "I'm glad you finally got around to assigning positions."

Jess frowned as she joined them. "Why didn't you say something sooner, Neela? You know way more about the sport than either me or Becker - we definitely would've listened to any suggestions you had."

But Becker could guess why she hadn't spoken up. Ghani was one of his best soldiers, which meant she was used to following his orders. That was extremely important when it came to the sort of life-and-death situations they often found themselves in at incursions, but it wasn't so good for this whole footy business.

Neela shrugged. "I wasn't going to question the Captain," she said, confirming Becker's deductions. "I figured he had a good reason for it."

Jess shook her head. "No, no reason...except he's clueless."

"Thanks, Jess," Becker responded dryly, and she quickly went on.

"I am, too! We just don't know that much about it - there's only so much you can learn from the internet."

Chas gave a wicked smile. "I imagine there's an awful lot you can learn from the internet."

Jess blushed at his suggestive tone, but Ghani merely elbowed her boyfriend, scolding playfully, "She was talking about footy."

"Ah yes, footy," Chas said, turning back to Becker. "By the bye, your whole 'Connor draws the penalty' play might work once or twice, especially if he comes up bleeding. He seems to understand the offside rule and can probably stay out of offside traps. But any neutral ref is going to start carding him for diving in the box if he keeps going down like a Soho slag."

"What Chas means," Ghani stepped in with a roll of her eyes, "is that if he does it too much, the ref is liable to think Connor's feigning injury, just pretending to be fouled, which obviously wouldn't be very sportsmanlike."

"But he's not pretending," Jess insisted.

"Yeah, but the ref might think it awfully suspicious if Connor's being knocked down on every play," Chas explained. "You might want to save your fragile secret weapon for when you really need a goal."

Becker nodded. "Thanks for the advice. We appreciate all your help." It turned out Chas wasn't so bad after all.

As Ghani and her boyfriend walked away, Emily approached the coaches. "Connor and I would like to stay on to work on his penalty kicks and my goalkeeping."

"Sounds like a good plan," Becker agreed. Connor had been surprisingly good at the few he'd kicked during the game, so additional practice could only help.

Emily went on, "Jess, would you be able to drive me home after?"

Becker wasn't sure why Connor couldn't simply drive her, but Jess instantly beamed. "I'd be happy to take you home later," she agreed.

"Thank you." Emily gave a grateful nod before running off to join Connor.

"Speaking of," Abby said, sauntering over, "how are you getting home, Becker?"

Wasn't it obvious? "My car." Though after sitting in the carpark for two days, he hoped it still started.

But Jess didn't seem worried about the car as she blurted out, "But you can't drive - it hasn't been 48 hours yet."

Becker stared blankly at her. "48 hours?"

"The doctor said you had to be careful of your ankle for 48 hours, and it's only been a little over 47. And surely it won't be good for your ankle to have to press down on the clutch pedal every time you change speed."

Becker rolled his eyes. He knew she was simply being overprotective, thanks in part to her driving lesson last weekend, but surely she wouldn't actually prevent him from driving himself.

However, out of the blue, Abby offered, "I could drive him home; I can drive a stick."

After last night's aborted lecture, being stuck in a car alone with Abby was the last thing Becker wanted, but before he could protest, Jess gushed, "Oh, could you, Abby? That'd be wonderful! Then I wouldn't have to worry." She then turned back to him, adding, "You should be okay to drive in the morning, but do promise me you'll be careful anyway. I don't want you re-injuring your ankle, especially so close to the game."

Abby turned to Becker, a smug smile on her face, knowing he couldn't get out of it now without upsetting Jess.

Damn her!

...

Jess was pleased with how the post-practice practice had gone. When Connor was able to take his time and approach his kicks as an experiment in Newton's Second Law of Motion, he wasn't so bad. He'd attempted all different ways of kicking the ball, only changing one variable at a time, so he'd have a better understanding of what worked well. And Emily had finally gotten a good workout, diving this way and that to try to block Connor's erratic kicks.

Of course, as they now headed for the car park, footy wasn't what Jess was eager to discuss. However, she didn't want to bring up the topic of Becker whilst Connor was still about, so instead she casually asked, "So why couldn't Matt stick around after practice?"

"Because I made him go home."

Whilst Emily didn't state it explicitly, Jess still understood what her friend was saying - she had purposely set things up so she and Jess could have some time alone to talk, which was exactly as Jess had hoped.

As they reached the carpark, Connor suddenly stopped, a look of confusion on his face. "Where did Abby get to?"

Jess laughed, surprised he hadn't noticed his fiance's absence before now. "She drove Becker home after practice."

Her answer, however, seemed to make him even more confused. "But our car's still here."

"That's because she drove Becker's car," Jess explained patiently. "I was worried about him driving his manual with his bad ankle, so Abby offered to drive him."

"Oh." Satisfied with the answer, Connor headed for his car whilst Jess and Emily turned the other way.

But as Connor opened his car door, he called out across the lot, "So then how is Abby getting home?"

This made Jess pause - that question had never occurred to her. She'd just been so pleased that Abby had volunteered, she hadn't considered the logistics of it all.

"Never mind," Connor called out, gesturing to his mobile. "She left me a message." Holding the phone to his ear, he climbed into the driver's seat and shut the door.

With him now settled and on his way, Jess quickly climbed into her own car and eagerly turned to Emily. "Thank you so much for arranging this," she gushed.

Emily nodded. "We never got a chance to finish our conversation from the other night, and I thought you might like to continue our talk."

"Oh, definitely!" And here inside the car they needn't worry about being overheard accidentally by anyone, which was a great relief. Jess started the engine and headed out towards the street. "So where should we start?"

"The beginning is usually the best."

Jess nodded. "Well, see, on my first day at the ARC, I began to read-"

"Perhaps the beginning of this football business might be more germane," Emily suggested.

"Oh, right. So last week - wow, was it only last week? It seems like an age! Anyway, last week, after we learnt of the upcoming match, I volunteered to assist Becker with his coaching."

Emily nodded. "You wanted to spend more time with him."

"Yes, partly, but I also wanted us to win. I can be a...uh...bit competitive," Jess added sheepishly.

"I hadn't noticed."

Jess glanced over at her passenger, uncertain as to whether Emily was being honest or sarcastic, but the Victorian's look gave nothing away. "So anyway," Jess went on, "ever since, he and I have been spending almost all our time together."

Emily nodded. "Work and practice do comprise the majority of your waking hours."

"But not just that. I mean, we've been spending most evenings together, not to mention nights at each other's flats."

Emily raised an eyebrow. "Oh yes?"

"Not intentionally," Jess hurriedly explained. She didn't think Emily was a complete prude - after all, she had been married - but Jess still didn't want her to get the wrong impression. "I mean, not entirely. It's just that...well..."

"It's complicated," Emily concluded for her.

"Yes! Exactly. For instance, on Tuesday, I merely fell asleep at his place, but then on Wednesday-"

"You had too much to drink."

Jess couldn't tell if Emily sounded judgemental or not, so she quickly defended herself. "It wasn't my fault. Lester's whiskey was way too potent, and he kept topping off my glass. And at least I behaved responsibly and didn't attempt to drive."

"So Becker took you to his home."

"But he was a perfect gentleman! He even let me sleep in his bed whilst he slept in the front room." Jess's own actions then came flooding back to her, along with the guilt. "Though I'm afraid I didn't behave very well." Emily gave her an inquisitive look but said nothing, so Jess reluctantly continued. "See, I tend to overanalyse things when I've been drinking. And I realised that Becker tends to get this look quite often."

"What sort of look?"

"Like...he's thought something improper and then feels guilty about it."

"Ah, yes," Emily nodded. "I am not unfamiliar with that look myself."

Jess could instantly tell that Emily was no longer simply referring to Becker. She grinned, asking eagerly, "Do tell!"

But Emily shook her head. "We are here to discuss you and Captain Becker. My...private life shall have to wait for another day."

Jess smiled - she could hardly wait.

...

to be continued

Note: I've actually completed the story, although I am still editing chapters. FYI, there are 42 chapters in all. I will continue to post one regularly ever 3 or so days as I complete the final edits of each. At least be secure in the fact that I won't leave you hanging, as there is an actual end! :)


	31. Ch 31 REGRETS & RISKS

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 31 - REGRETS & RISKS

...

Becker was having a restless evening. It was the first time he'd been home in days - and the first time he'd been home ALONE in a week - but he couldn't seem to settle down and relax, as his conversation with Abby kept running over and over through his mind.

The moment she'd gotten him alone in the car, she'd skipped any preamble and gotten straight to the point. "So when are you going to come clean with Jess?"

This instantly got Becker's back up. "Listen, Abigail, my affairs are none of your business."

"That might be true if 'your affairs' weren't interfering with anything else. But when your lovesick demeanor is getting in the way of your work, it becomes my business."

"Lovesick?" Becker scoffed.

Abby shrugged. "Let me put it to you this way. I'm guessing that you think about Jess all the time. That you enjoy every moment you're together and miss her when you're apart. That you're constantly worried about her well-being. That the mere sight of her smile can brighten your gloomiest mood. That you long to be near her, to touch her - hell, Becker, you spent practically the entire day at the Pet Show holding her hand! If that's not lovesick, I don't know what is."

Becker sat and glared out the windscreen, refusing to look at his mate. He wanted to defend himself, to point out that friends worry about each other and enjoy spending time together, that everyone liked Jess's sunny disposition, and that it was Jess who'd held HIS hand and not the other way around. But it was obvious Abby had his number; she could tell his feelings ran deeper than that, even if he didn't want to admit them to himself. If he'd been a character in a courtroom drama, he might've declared, "We concede the phrase 'lovesick'," but Becker wasn't about to give Abby the satisfaction. Instead, he merely grumbled, "It's...complicated."

This made Abby laugh. "Becker, relationships are complicated. Connor and I didn't get where we are overnight; it was a long and, as you say, complicated process. But some things are worth a little extra effort. Don't you think Jess might be one of them?"

What was Becker to say? Of course Jess was worth the effort. From the moment he'd met her, he'd been willing to go out of his way to make sure she was okay. Hell, he'd even been willing to sacrifice his own life for hers. But that didn't mean anything - it was his duty, he was trained to defend and protect those he worked alongside.

Of course, he knew that's not what Abby was talking about. And it now occurred to him that while he would happily face down bombs and all manner of deadly predators on Jess's behalf, the thought of simply looking deep into her big blue eyes and telling her how much he cared for her made his blood run cold. And he knew the reason why. Because to be with Jess would be pure selfishness on his part, since he'd only wind up hurting her in the end.

"I don't want to hurt her, Abby," Becker said aloud. "And I would."

"Why? Because you've made mistakes in the past? We all have. But if I've learnt one thing from this job, it's that you can't live in the past, because who knows what tomorrow will bring. We have dangerous jobs, Becker. Any one of us could be killed any day. And how would you feel if you died before telling her how much you care for her?" She paused for a moment before adding, "How would you feel if SHE died not knowing?"

Becker felt a chill run up his spine, knowing she almost had. He could still remember the beetle incident with perfect clarity, cradling Jess in his arms, willing her to live. He'd felt that same sense of heart-stopping dread when he'd gotten her text about being trapped with the future predators - he'd never been so happy to see her bloodsmeared face, since he'd been certain that they'd arrive too late. Yet in both those instances, as soon as the danger was over, he'd immediately returned to business as usual, treating Jess as nothing more than a friend. And if that overwhelming sense of relief hadn't been enough to motivate him to tell her how he really felt, it was clear he'd never have the courage to do to so.

"Abby, I just...I can't."

Silence filled the car for several minutes before Abby spoke again.

"Becker, there will always be an excuse, a reason why you shouldn't go after what you want. She's too young, she'd be a distraction, she's not compatible, she's WAY out of your league." Becker turned to glare at Abby at this last, and she smiled smugly. "Just making sure you're actually paying attention, because this is important." She heaved a heavy sigh before continuing, "Listen, as the one who dragged my feet in Connor's and my relationship, believe me, I know what you're going through. It's hard, it means allowing yourself to be vulnerable and to risk getting hurt. But do you know what my one regret is?" As she pulled the car to a stop at a traffic light, she turned and looked meaningfully at Becker. "I regret that I waited so long to tell him, that I wasted precious time that we could've spent together because I was too scared to let him know how I felt. And I don't want to see you make the same mistake."

The light changed, and Abby turned her gaze back to the road in front of them.

"Just think of me as your own private Cretaceous," she continued. "Trust me, I would've much preferred a friendly nudge from a mate than a yearful of raptors forcing me to face up to my feelings." She flashed him a bittersweet smile, and Becker could sense her lecture was over.

Only it wasn't, because he'd spent the entire evening dwelling on her words. Abby wasn't just acting as matchmaker or busybody - she clearly wanted to protect him from the same pain and regret she'd gone through. And if Becker understood anything, it was regret. He'd watched so many friends and colleagues be killed, oftentimes on his watch, that he felt his regret quota was nearly topped up already. But Abby was right - if Jess were killed before he got around to telling her how he really felt, he didn't think he'd be able to stand it.

So perhaps he should go ahead and pursue a relationship with Jess, despite his reservations. It was obvious that when he messed up, as he felt certain he would, Abby would be there to kick him back into line.

But better her than a raptor!

...

The ride to Emily's flat was entirely too short, so Jess waited in the car whilst her friend ran up to tell Matt she wouldn't be joining him for dinner. Upon her return, Jess asked, "So what kind of food are you in the mood for? Chinese? Indian? Italian? Or there's this amazing new French-"

"Actually, if you don't mind, I've just been craving a simple stew."

Jess nodded - after growing up in Victorian times and then spending three years foraging for survival, today's menus must seem a bit exotic to Emily. "A stew. Hmm...Oh, there's a pub nearby. That would probably have something simple. How does that sound?"

Emily agreed, and Jess turned down the street towards the Dog and Pony. After ordering (and yes, they had Irish stew on the menu), they sat down in a quiet corner booth. Jess leant across the table, about to continue the conversation where she'd left off, when she suddenly found herself being shifted over by someone sliding into the booth next to her.

"Why, if it isn't the two loveliest ladies from the ARC," Scott said, flashing them both a cheesy smile. "So what are you two doing out by yourselves? If you're lonely, you know, my mates and I would be happy to join you."

"How very pleasant to see you here this evening, Mr. Scott," Emily said serenely. "I'm sorry to disappoint you and your no-doubt charming friends, but Jess and I were just about to partake of a private supper. However, we wish you a lovely evening and shall look forward to seeing you tomorrow at work."

Jess was amazed - she'd never heard anyone be, at once, so polite yet so dismissive. Even Scott, who could be intentionally oblivious when it came to amiable rejections, instantly recognised he'd been flattened. He sheepishly slid back out of the booth, apologising, "Sorry to interrupt. I'll, uh, see you two later," before slinking off to the bar.

Emily then turned back to Jess as if nothing had happened. "You were about to say?"

Jess opened her mouth to speak, but the sight of Scott in her peripheral vision made her hesitate. She couldn't help but worry that Scott might overhear something, and he was the last person she'd ever want to know her private feelings. So instead she started regaling Emily with silly tales of her weekend, being careful to leave out the more intimate details regarding the hand-holding, the key, and obviously her awkward late-night ramblings. Her eyes kept flitting over to the bar, hoping that Scott would leave so she'd be free to talk about Becker, but he seemed to be here for the long haul. Finally, after explaining to Emily about the joys of telecommuting and the dangers of mixing whiskey with pain meds, she casually steered the conversation away towards more general topics.

The remainder of their meal was enjoyable, but Jess couldn't help but regret not having the chance to truly discuss the Becker situation with her friend. However, Emily seemed able to read between the lines, for the moment they got back in the car, she began, "I believe I've identified your problem with Captain Becker."

"You have?" Jess asked, eager to hear what nuggets of wisdom her friend had been able to glean from their brief talk.

Emily nodded. "I'm aware of your disappointment in being unable to discuss the situation with me at supper, and I believe that in itself is the source of your difficulties."

"Huh?" Jess was confused. "I don't follow."

"I've found that there are two paths to a happy life. One path is to simply accept your current situation and gather whatever pleasure from it you can; the other is to actively pursue your own desires, but that path requires taking risks. Take this evening, for example - although we shared a lovely meal together, you weren't able to enjoy it because it wasn't what you'd been hoping for, yet you weren't willing to talk about Becker anyway, simply accepting the risk that Scott might overhear. I'm guessing it's the same when you're with Becker. You two have a wonderfully close friendship, yet you aren't willing to accept it for what it is nor take the risk to tell him how you truly feel. Am I correct?"

Jess felt as if she'd been kicked in the stomach. She'd known Emily would be honest, but she hadn't expected the truth to be quite so brutal. And Emily was right - Jess tended to see the bright side in most situations, but when it came to Becker, she was constantly wanting more but unwilling to just come out and say so.

Emily must've noticed Jess's frown for she went on, "I am sorry if I upset you. I thought you wanted my opinion."

"Oh, I did," Jess said. "I mean, I do. It's just...I guess I..."

"You were hoping I'd say it was all Becker's fault and then give you a simple solution to fix him."

Jess laughed - although she hadn't realised it, that's exactly what she'd been hoping for. "Since when did you become such a mindreader?"

Emily shrugged. "It's easy to recognise in others what one doesn't want to see in oneself."

_Hmmm. Intriguing_, Jess thought, wondering what exactly her friend meant by her statement but afraid to ask.

The rest of the brief drive was made in silence, each caught up in their own thoughts. But as Jess pulled up to Matt's building for the second time that evening, she blurted out, "I really do appreciate your advice. And I'm sorry if I ruined your dinner."

Emily shook her head. "You didn't ruin mine - I quite enjoyed our evening together. I am just sorry that you weren't able to."

Jess nodded, chagrinned. "Next time, I promise." As Emily stepped out of the car, Jess leant over the seat to add, "And perhaps then we can focus on dissecting your private life."

Emily smiled and shut the door with a simple, "Goodnight," before Jess headed towards home, with Emily's words still echoing through her head.

...

to be continued


	32. Ch 32 DINNER DATE DISTINCTIONS

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 32 - DINNER DATE DISTINCTIONS

...

Becker woke up, determined that today was the day. He was going to walk right up to Jess and...

And what? He couldn't just kiss her right in the middle of Ops. And he wasn't the type to really talk about his feelings. But having taken Abby's advice to heart, not wanting to live with regrets, he was determined to do something.

Perhaps he could simply ask Jess out. Not just to a friendly dinner - they'd done that enough these past few weeks. No, he would ask her out on a proper date. Simply informing her that it was to be an actual date should be enough to let her know that he was interested in more than friendship, and then he needn't say more. He spoke better with actions than with words anyway, so he would take her out to dinner and hold her hand and, when he drove her home, kiss her goodnight. It was something he'd been dreaming of for ages, but now that the moment was almost here, Becker could hardly wait. Jess's lips had felt so soft and smooth when she'd kissed his forehead yesterday morning, he could only imagine how good they'd feel pressed against his own lips, his arms wrapped tenderly about her as he...

"Thinking of tomorrow's match?" Matt teased as he walked into the armoury.

Becker glared, annoyed that Matt had caught him daydreaming.

Matt continued, "We're still on for the inventory this afternoon, yeah?"

Becker nodded. Having been away from the ARC for two days, he was having trouble keeping track of his schedule, so he was actually grateful for the reminder. Not that he'd ever let Matt know that, of course. "Yeah, this afternoon," he replied simply, his mind immediately returning to thoughts of Jess. "I, uh, need to go take these duty rosters to the hub." Matt nodded and said nothing as Becker quickly escaped.

Striding purposely through the corridors, Becker passed Abby and gave her a cursory nod, wanting to acknowledge his appreciation of her advice yet not wanting to slow his momentum. He turned the corner into Ops...and stopped short when he realised Jess wasn't at the hub. He stood there, simply staring at her empty chair, not sure what to-

"Morning, Becker."

Jess's voice from behind made him jump.

"Sorry," she quickly said with a smile. "I didn't mean to startle you. How's your ankle this morning? I hope you were careful on the drive in."

Becker stood there, staring blankly at her. It was as if every thought had been wiped from his brain, and he was having difficulty restarting it. "Uh, yes, my ankle's fine," he finally managed to get out.

"Oh good," Jess said with a smile before heading down the stairs towards the hub.

She'd only gotten a few steps away when Becker remembered his plan. He hurried to catch up with her, asking, "So, uh, Jess, I was wondering if you'd, uh, like to go out to dinner tonight?"

Jess nodded as she climbed into her chair. "Sure. That'd be lovely. We can discuss any last-minute details for the match tomorrow."

Becker frowned. She'd misunderstood; she thought he was only asking her out as his assistant coach. He needed to make it clear. "I meant...when I asked...it's a date," he clarified before giving a small sigh of relief. There. He'd actually said it.

Jess smiled. "Yes, it's a date," she said, grabbing her mobile and typing it into her schedule. "Dinner...with...Becker." She looked back up at him, asking, "Did you have someplace particular in mind?"

This was not going according to plan. She still didn't seem to understand that this wasn't just dinner, it was a dinner date. How could he make her understand without looking like a fool?

Besides, she'd asked where they should go and his mind was a blank. He didn't care about the restaurant or the food, he only wanted to spend time with Jess, to be with her.

But she was waiting expectantly for an answer, her mobile at the ready so she could type it into her schedule, so he said the first thing that came into his mind. "Uh, that French restaurant we went to was-"

He was going to say "kind of romantic", hoping that might clue her in to his intentions, but Jess didn't let him finish. Instead she squealed, "Ooh, really? We can go back for more chocolate souffle? Oh Becker, you're the best!" She typed it into her mobile and then flashed him a cheery smile. "I can't wait."

"Can't wait for what?" Connor asked, walking up to the hub.

"Becker and I are going to this French restaurant tonight," Jess explained. "You and Abby should come with us - the food is to die for."

Connor wrinkled his nose. "French food? Isn't that, like, quiches and stuff?"

"Real men eat quiche," Jess insisted. "Becker does, anyway. And you liked it, didn't you?" she asked, turning back towards the soldier.

But Becker couldn't answer. He just stood there with his mouth gaping open, still in shock that Jess had invited others on their date. Clearly he'd need help to sort out this situation.

"I...uh...need to go find Abby," Becker mumbled before rushing out of Ops towards the menagerie.

...

Jess was having a wonderful day. After two days at home, it felt good to be back at work just to see everybody. Thanks to it being Friday, everyone seemed to be in a good mood. And practice had gone so well yesterday that no one seemed be stressing about the match.

Best of all, Becker had asked her to dinner. Sure, they'd shared most of their meals together this past week, but the fact that he asked her first thing this morning instead of waiting until after practice meant that it gave her something to look forward to all day.

Not that she was reading too much into the invitation - she knew it was just a friendly dinner to discuss their final strategies before the match, but Jess realised she was okay with that. She enjoyed spending time with Becker, and she was no longer going to let her own hopes and expectations get in the way of that. If someday Becker decided to take things beyond mere friendship, Jess would be thrilled - but in the meantime, she was simply happy that she could share a tasty meal with him.

"Hey," Abby said, appearing out of nowhere. "So I hear that you invited me and Connor to your dinner with Becker."

Jess nodded. "We're going to that new French restaurant I told you about, the one with the amazing-"

"Yeah, Connor and I won't be able to join you tonight," Abby said, cutting her off.

"Oh," Jess said, disappointed. "That's too bad."

Abby stared at her. "'That's too bad'?" she repeated.

Jess nodded. "I think you'd really like the food. Connor, too. And it looked like they had loads of other desserts besides the souffle, though I doubt I'll ever get around to trying them," she finished with a smile.

Abby, however, frowned. "Yeah, well, perhaps another time. You know, I've, uh, gotta go...talk to someone." And she abruptly disappeared.

Jess turned back to the hub, briefly wondering what her flatmates had planned for this evening before becoming completely absorbed in her work once again. She was so intent on the monitors that she jumped when Becker suddenly appeared at her side.

"Hey," he began. "I, uh, wanted to talk to you about our dinner tonight."

"Oh, Abby and Connor can't go," Jess quickly filled him in without taking her eyes from the screens. "But we're still on, yeah? Did you want me to call to see if they take reservations?"

"No...I mean, yeah...whatever," Becker stammered. "Actually, about that. Um, when I asked you to dinner, what I meant was-"

"Oh no!" Jess gasped. Cycling through the various camera feeds within the ARC itself, Jess had briefly caught sight of the mammoth in the menagerie. "The shirts! I left them at home this morning! I was planning to pass them out at practice tonight. Oh, I can't believe I forgot! Now I'm going to have to go home at lunch to pick them up."

"At lunch? It's almost noon now," Becker pointed out.

"It is?" Jess glanced at her watch, convinced he was mistaken because it didn't feel that late. "Where has the day gone? Oh well, it'll be okay. And thank goodness I remembered them now while there's still time to go get them!"

She swung her chair sideways so she could hop down, but Becker was standing in her way. He awkwardly took a step back before asking, "Would you, uh, like some company?"

Jess smiled. Having dinner together tonight AND spending her lunchtime errand with him - she couldn't be more pleased. "That'd be lovely." She slid out of her seat and started to cross Ops with Becker. They caught sight of Matt and Emily down the corridor, headed for the canteen, and suddenly Becker stopped with a frustrated, "Dammit!"

"What?" Jess asked.

Becker shook his head. "I can't go home with you, Jess - Matt and I are doing the armoury inventory this afternoon, and we need to start it early to make sure we can get out in time for practice. I'm sorry."

Jess was momentarily disappointed, but then she shrugged, smiling serenely. So she couldn't spend her lunch with him - it wasn't the end of the world. "No problem. I'll see you later then."

She continued towards the lifts to the carpark as Becker turned away towards the canteen. However, Becker must've remembered something for he called back, "Oh, and Jess, we still need to discuss our dinner tonight. Because, uh, you see, what I meant was...I wanted it to be a-"

But the lift doors closed before he could finish what he had to say.

...

to be continued


	33. Ch 33 FINAL FRIDAY FRENZY

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 33 - FINAL FRIDAY FRENZY

...

Becker didn't get a chance to see Jess for the rest of the day. The inventory took all afternoon, with them barely finishing before five. Of course, it might've gone faster if Becker's mind hadn't constantly been wandering, thinking alternately of his upcoming date with Jess and the fact that she was still unclear on the concept that it WAS one. Luckily, he was saved from Matt's mockery by the fact that Emily had volunteered to help them with their task, so Matt was also a bit distracted. Becker was thankful for Emily's presence for another reason as well, for they probably wouldn't have finished on-time without her assistance.

On the drive to practice, Becker decided it was probably best if he sat out again today. While his ankle was feeling fine, he didn't want to risk re-injuring it right before the game, and by sitting on the sidelines again he'd actually be able to coach the others, which had worked well yesterday. When he arrived at the park, Jess met him with the exact same suggestion, so at least they were on the same page about that, even if they still seemed to be miscommunicating about their date.

Everyone was extremely restless today, no doubt a combination of it being both Friday and the day before the match. It took ages to get people settled enough to do their warm-ups, and afterwards Jess handed out the red team shirts to everyone.

"Red shirts? Really?" Connor asked, warily taking his. "As if I didn't already have a target on my back."

Ignoring his Star Trek superstitions, she explained to the others, "I had to guess at sizes, so hopefully they'll all fit."

When she got to Emily, however, the former Victorian promptly handed the shirt back to her without even checking the size.

"I don't need it," Emily insisted.

Becker gave a frustrated sigh as Jess quickly explained, "But they're our uniforms for the match, Emily, so we'll look like a team."

"But I'm not supposed to match," Emily said. "The keeper is required to wear different colours to distinguish herself from the other players. I researched it."

"She's right," Ghani stepped in. "The keeper has to look different from the others, since different rules apply to her."

"But don't worry," Emily said. "I purchased a proper keeper jersey to wear."

_Of course she did_, Becker thought, rolling his eyes.

Jess, however, handed the shirt back to her friend. "You should keep this anyway. To wear after the match."

Once the rest of the uniforms were all sorted, Becker gave everyone directions to the pitch where they'd be playing tomorrow. "The match doesn't start till 1400, but everyone should be there by 1300 so we can warm up," he instructed. "The Recreation Ground is all the way out in Hillingdon, which means it's a bit of a drive for many of you, so plan accordingly." Glancing around the assembled, he turned to Ghani. "Speaking of, wasn't Chas planning on joining us tonight?"

"I thought so," she replied. "He didn't mention anything about being late."

"I hope he's okay," Jess said, sounding worried.

Ghani shrugged. "I'm sure he's fine. Sometimes work keeps him late."

Becker frowned. "I'd rather not start without him." It helped to have a ref, especially now that they were really playing like a team.

"Perhaps we should focus on starting then," Jess said. When Becker raised a questioning eyebrow, she explained, "The kick-off at the start and restarts of the game - there's all those rules about where people can be and who can touch the ball and everything. Maybe you could go over that with everyone, Neela, since we haven't really been doing that."

Becker realised Jess was right - because they'd only been scrimmaging against each other and playing on half the field, there were a lot of rules that they simply hadn't been following. So Ghani gathered everyone around to go over what was expected.

"As Jess said, the kick-off is the way a football match is started or restarted, so it occurs at the beginning of the game, at the start of the second half, and each time after a goal has been scored. The ball is placed in the centre of the field, and all the players must be in their own half, with their opponents outside the 10m centre circle. Normally the referee will blow his whistle to indicate they're ready for the kick-off-"

"Which we can have Chas do when he gets here so we can practice," Jess jumped in.

Ghani nodded. "The ball is in play when it's kicked and moved forward. Note that the two-touch rule applies here."

Connor raised his hand. "Um...what's that again?"

Becker rolled his eyes, but Ghani patiently explained, "A player can't touch the ball twice in a row when putting the ball in play. It applies everywhere, not just at kick-offs - you'll also see it on corner kicks or direct and indirect kicks. It even applies to throw-ins - you can't throw the ball in and then kick it; someone else much touch it first."

Connor nodded, but Becker could tell it hadn't really sunk in.

"Shall we try practicing the kick-offs?" Jess suggested, looking to Becker for approval.

He nodded. "Let's have everyone out in the field as if we were doing this for real."

Everyone ran out to their positions, and Ghani demonstrated various strategies on how to do the kick-offs...and how to defend them. Becker felt a bit left out over on the sidelines, but he was glad that they were covering this today instead of messing it up tomorrow.

Eventually Ghani felt they had a good grasp and concluded, "And that should cover most of what you need to know," just as Chas came running past Becker onto the field.

"Sorry I'm late," he panted, obviously having sprinted from the carpark.

Ghani hurried over and gave her boyfriend a quick peck on the lips. "You okay?" Becker heard her ask.

Chas nodded. "Yeah, of course. I'm fine. Everything's fine. Just running late."

Becker glanced at his watch - it was even later than he'd thought. "Okay, everyone, let's get back in our scrimmage positions and get started."

Because the sooner they started, the sooner practice would be over,

And the sooner Becker and Jess would be on their date.

...

Jess was pleased at how well practice had gone. Becker had taken her suggestion and opted to sit out again tonight, which gave her one less thing to worry about.

The rest of the team had played well today, despite their nervous energy. They weren't a real football club by any stretch of the imagination, but they were fumbling through together, truly working as a team, which was really the entire point of this exercise anyway. Jess was actually looking forward to the match tomorrow, giving them a chance to show off how hard they'd worked together over the past fortnight. Unfortunately, once it was over, Jess wouldn't be seeing Becker quite as often, but she was okay with that. And at least they were having dinner together tonight.

After cool-down, as the team began to disperse, Jess went over to Chas, who had seemed somewhat distracted all practice.

"You okay?" she asked, concerned. "Did something happen? Where were you?"

Chas nervously looked around before taking a step closer to her. "Follow me," he whispered in her ear, and, grabbing her hand, quickly led her away from the other players. Jess wasn't sure where he was taking her, but despite his odd behaviour, she had a gut instinct that nothing was really wrong. He led her towards a car which she guessed was his when the lights flashed and the doors unlocked as they approached.

"Get in," he said, once again glancing about cautiously before climbing in the driver's seat.

Jess shut the passenger door behind her and was about to ask what was going on when he leant across her and opened up the glovebox. She watched as he took out a small jewelry box and, holding it low to prevent any passers-by from seeing it, explained, "I was late because I had to pick this up." He opened the box to reveal a simple diamond engagement ring inside.

Jess's eyes bugged. "You're proposing to Neela?" Before he could even nod his reply, she leant across the seats and gave him a huge hug. "Omigod, I'm so happy for you! When?"

Chas gulped nervously. "Tomorrow evening. I told her I wanted to take her out for a celebratory dinner after the match so she wouldn't suspect anything. But I don't know, Jess - now that the moment's here, I'm so nervous."

"Why? Neela's crazy for you. I'm sure she'll say yes."

"It's not so much her as her parents that I'm worried about," Chas confessed. "It took them ages to finally come around to the idea of me as her boyfriend, but boyfriend and fiance, not to mention husband, are all very different things."

Jess shook her head. "I'm sure they'll be fine with it. They like you, yeah? And clearly Neela loves you. My bet is they'll want to see her happy, even if that means their daughter won't be marrying a Hindi."

"I hope so." He glanced down at the ring, and Jess noticed his hands were shaking. "Do you think she'll like it?" he asked nervously. "I didn't have anyone to help me pick it out."

Jess put her hands on his to steady them and took a good look at the ring. It was a small diamond solitaire in white gold, simple yet elegant, just perfect for the athletic soldier. "She'll love it," Jess said, feeling her eyes tear up. "Oh, I'm so happy for you!" she said, giving him another friendly hug and a peck on the cheek.

"Dammit! Here she comes!" Chas said as they pulled apart from their embrace. He frantically snapped the box closed, but in doing so fumbled and dropped it into the passenger footwell. He and Jess both blindly scrambled for it, the open glovebox blocking their view. Finally Jess felt it beneath her fingers and closed her hand around it, tossing it into the glovebox as Chas slammed it closed behind her. She quickly opened the passenger door and hurried out of the car and over to the bushes off the carpark, hoping that Neela hadn't seen her, since she didn't want Chas's surprise to be ruined. Once she was at a safe distance, Jess turned around and practically ran smack into Becker.

"Oh!" she exclaimed as she steadied herself. "I didn't see you there."

"Obviously."

Jess instantly noticed his sharp tone, but of course he had a lot on his mind, what with the game tomorrow. She hoped, however, that he'd be able to relax and have fun tonight. "So, are you ready for dinner?" she asked cheerfully, her mouth already starting to salivate in anticipation of the chocolate souffle.

But Becker didn't return her smile. Instead he stared at her a moment, frowning, before snapping, "You're unbelievable!" and storming off across the field.

...

to be continued


	34. Ch 34 IRATE INDICTMENTS

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 34 - IRATE INDICTMENTS

...

"Becker!"

The soldier could hear Jess calling his name as she ran to catch up with him, but he didn't slow his stride. He didn't want to talk to her. He didn't want to listen to her excuses. Most of all, he didn't want to look into her pretty blue eyes, knowing the deceit she was capable of.

He couldn't decide whom he should be the most furious with: himself, for being such a fool and letting his guard down; Abby, for convincing him it'd be a good idea to do so; Chas, for simply being, well, Chas; or Jess, for not turning out to be as perfect as he'd thought. Her innocent looks, her coy smiles, her schoolgirl charm - he'd completely fallen for them all, and they were nothing but a lie.

Becker couldn't believe he'd let himself be lulled into such a sense of complacency. His initial instincts had been correct - Chas was a no-good lout, and Becker had known it from the moment the bloke had started flirting with Jess in front of Ghani. So Chas's betrayal wasn't all that surprising; it was Jess's that really had him floored. She and Ghani were supposedly friends - or, at the very least, amiable workmates - yet clearly Jess hadn't thought twice about cheating with her boyfriend. Becker couldn't believe he'd come so close to actually starting something with her - he supposed he should be thankful that he'd found out now, before it was too late and he got hurt.

Who was he kidding? He was already hurt. He'd lowered his defences and finally asked Jess on a date, and instead of a pleasant dinner and a chaste goodnight kiss, he'd been forced to watch as she and Chas snuck off for a quick snog in his car behind Ghani's - and his - back. He was disgusted...and furious...and disappointed. This wasn't how he'd wanted things to work out.

"Becker!"

The soldier felt a hand on his shoulder as Jess finally caught up to him. He stopped so abruptly, violently shrugging her off, that her momentum took her a few steps past him. He glared as she turned back to him, panting from the run, her forehead so creased with concern that anyone would think she was the wounded party in this scenario.

"Don't, Jess!" Becker snapped, not wanting to fall for another one of her manipulative little traps. "Just don't!"

"'Don't what? What is it? Why are you so upset?"

"Oh, right," he snapped, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Why should I care? It's not like I'm the one being cheated on!"

Jess's jaw dropped. "What?"

Becker shook his head. "You know, it's bad enough that you'd do such a thing to her, but here? At practice? You could've at least shown a little discretion."

"Becker, I don't know what you're talking about." Her voice sounded shaky and her lower lip was quivering - she really was a piece of work!

"Cut the innocent act, Jess. There's no need to keep it up - I'm not falling for it anymore."

"'Act'?" she repeated, as if she had no idea what he was talking about.

"Though I gotta admit, you're good. You totally had me fooled. You actually had me believing that you..." He stopped himself before he gave too much away - he didn't want to give her the satisfaction of knowing she'd almost succeeded in getting him to completely fall for her.

Of course, he wasn't the only one she'd deceived.

"I don't know how you've managed to do it, Jessica, but you've pulled the wool over everyone's eyes. Bravo! You've even got Abby in there championing for you...and for all I know, you're probably sleeping with Connor, too."

At this, the tears that had been welling up in Jess's eyes spillt over, streaming down her cheeks. Until twenty minutes ago, such a sight would've broken his heart; he would've gathered sweet Jess in his arms and done whatever he could to make the pain stop. But now her tears only enraged him further, for he knew they were all for show.

"Ah, and here come the waterworks, right on schedule." He couldn't bear to look at her anymore, playing the role of the injured party. "Go cry your eyes out to Chas - you two deserve each other."

And with that he turned and walked away, the pounding of his heartbeat inside his head drowning out the sound of Jess's weeping.

...

Jess drove into the nearly empty underground carpark, coming to a stop near the lifts. She'd had no intention of coming back to the ARC tonight - she'd instead planned on having a delicious meal with Becker, perhaps followed by going back to his place to try to finally get through all of _Bend It Like Beckham_ - but obviously nothing was going to plan this evening.

She still felt numb, but in the background her brain had been starting to make some sense of what had happened. From an outside perspective, her disappearance with Chas after practice might've seemed a bit dodgy, especially considering the way he'd been nervously looking about, obviously not wanting Neela to see. And it must've seemed out of the ordinary for her to be randomly climbing into a car with him for no apparent reason. Thinking back, she now remembered that she'd hugged him once or twice out of sheer joy for him and Neela - she supposed that someone might've mistaken that for snogging, especially if they hadn't see the ring that their conversation had centred upon. And of course, their obvious panic at the appearance of Neela definitely might've seemed suspicious to someone who didn't know what was actually going on. But really, how could Becker have possibly jumped to the conclusion that she and Chas were having an affair? Didn't he know her better than that?

Not that Jess had been able to comprehend any of this as he'd stood there yelling at her. She'd been so confused, and so hurt by what he'd been saying, her brain hadn't been able to decipher any of what was going on. But ever since he'd left, she'd been slowly piecing it all together, trying to make it make sense.

After practice, Becker must've followed her and Chas to the car park, no doubt to discuss their upcoming dinner together, and ended up misinterpreting everything he saw. It occurred to her now that, ironically, Chas had been correct about Becker's jealousy. But instead of convincing Becker to finally make his move, it'd forced him to turn on her.

And oh, the mean things he'd said! It was bad enough that he'd attacked her for supposedly cheating with Chas, but he'd called her innocence an "act" and even mocked her crying, as if her tears weren't real either. Worst of all, he'd accused her of betraying Abby by sleeping with Connor - how could he have said that when he knew she considered them family? Could he really think so little of her, after all they'd been through together these past two weeks, let alone the past two years?

Jess felt her tears starting to spill over once again, so she quickly wiped her eyes and climbed out of her car, heading for the lifts. She wasn't exactly looking forward to spending the night in the Quiet Room, but at least she'd be alone, which hadn't been an option at home.

After Becker had stormed off, she'd stood there for what felt like an age, barely able to process what had just happened. Here she'd been looking forward to a fun evening with Becker, and instead he'd left her sobbing on the pitch all alone. Eventually she'd had the presence of mind to head for the carpark, even though she was still in a daze, numb from crying. Her only real thought had been to get safely home and curl up on her bed and hope that, when she awoke, she'd find it had all been a bad dream. She didn't even remember the drive home, only becoming conscious of her surroundings when she pulled up to her flat and realised that both Abby's and Connor's cars were there. This had confused her - Abby had said she and Connor couldn't join them for dinner, so Jess had assumed they had plans elsewhere tonight. But no, they were home, and Jess simply couldn't face them at present. So after a few laps around the block, trying to think of a solution, she'd realised she could use the ARC as her sanctuary, a place to hole up until she got herself sorted out.

Once inside, Jess headed straight for the Quiet Room. Kicking off her trainers, she collapsed onto the couch, unsure of what to do with herself. It was far too early to go to bed, even though she felt both physically and emotionally exhausted from what she'd just been through. And now that the numbness was beginning to fade and her feelings were starting to return, she became cognisant of the fact that she was hungry...which reminded her of the dinner she should've been eating with Becker right now...which made her realise she'd never cancelled their reservation.

It was this last that made her burst into tears again. She'd never wanted to be one of those people who made reservations and then didn't bother to cancel them, and the realisation that she'd become one made her feel at once guilty and sad and overwhelmed. Of course, the restaurant didn't require reservations, but the fact that they'd probably held a table for them on a busy Friday evening made her feel like a rotter. She considered calling them to apologise but realised there was no point to it, as they'd no doubt have already declared them a no-show and scratched her name from their list. So with nothing else that could be done, she merely sat on the sofa and cried, feeling a slight sense of release.

Once these "waterworks", as Becker had so mockingly referred to them, subsided, she realised that she probably should get something to eat. She padded down the corridor to the canteen in her stocking feet and then stared blankly at the choices available in the vending machines. An apple, yoghurt, and a packet of crisps were a far cry from the scrumptious French meal she'd been looking forward to all day, but at least they'd keep her stomach from grumbling. Besides, she had some sweets hidden away in her locker which she planned to raid later - Becker may have given them to her, but she wasn't about to let good chocolate go to waste simply because she was upset.

Not wanting to stay awake all night, she passed on the coffee and got some juice instead before heading back to her private room. It felt so weird to be here by herself. Of course, she wasn't really alone - she knew there was a weekend skeleton crew at work somewhere - but she was thankful she hadn't run into anyone in the corridor.

And it wasn't just the silence that was unnerving her. Everywhere she went, everywhere she looked, she had recent happy memories of Becker. Even the Quiet Room. She rarely came in here, yet only a few days ago she'd snuck in for an afternoon kip and woke to find Becker asleep nearby on the comfy chair. The idea that it could conceivably happen again filled her with dread. After all, what could she say to him? He wouldn't believe any of it anyway, since he was convinced her entire life was some sort of act.

Yet she'd have to see him at the match tomorrow. The very thought of it made her lose her appetite, and she pushed her food aside.

How was she ever going to face him? Or Chas? Or Abby and Connor? She wished an anomaly would open up right now and whisk her off to some far-distant time, back to when no one had ever heard of football or French restaurants or engagement rings.

Instead, she lay down on the sofa and fell asleep almost instantly, and thankfully she didn't remember her dreams.

...

to be continued (don't worry - things do get better!)


	35. Ch 35 AFTER ALTERCATION ANGST

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 35 - AFTER-ALTERCATION ANGST

...

Becker yawned. It was no wonder he was tired, after the night he'd just spent.

Even now, his mind kept flashing back to Jess standing on the pitch, crying her eyes out. He knew it had all been an act, he knew she a despicable little cheater, but his deeply engrained feelings of chivalry still somehow felt bad for her. She'd looked so pathetic, like a wounded little child, that he'd been haunted by that image all evening.

He'd peeled out of the carpark without a glance back, wanting to get as far away from her as possible. She'd ruined his evening - hell, she'd ruined everything - and he'd simply wanted to put it all behind him. Yet everything he'd done all evening had reminded him of her. He'd grabbed some pizza on the way home, but the smell of the garlic made him think of her sleepy breaths. He'd gotten to his flat, and there was the couch, the one he'd been dreaming of snogging Jess upon ever since the film Monday last. He'd decided to play some video games for release, but he kept imagining her sitting at his side, making helpful comments. And seeing her pink toothbrush next to the sink had been the last straw - she certainly wouldn't be needing that again, now that he knew the truth about her. He'd angrily tossed it in the bin before heading to bed.

As expected, he had a hard time falling asleep. Last night he'd lain here, dreaming of his future with Jess. But now he knew that future was hopeless, that they'd never be together, that it had all been a giant lie. Yet the image of her weeping on the field kept floating through his mind - could she really be that good of an actress?

He'd spent a restless night and a fretful morning. Now, in less than four hours, he'd be at long last coaching this bloody football match. However, the Minister and his wager were the furthest things from his mind - instead, he was obsessing over the fact that he'd have to see Jess. He obviously didn't want to, but it never even occurred to him that he could bail, for he knew that the team was counting on him, and he wasn't one to shirk his duty, no matter how painful it might be.

His mobile suddenly went off, and Becker scowled as he glanced at the screen - he wasn't really up for a lecture from Abby this morning. However, it occurred to him that Abby wasn't the type to be put off, and she was liable to drive over to his flat to confront him in person if she couldn't get him on the phone, so he reluctantly picked up, snapping crossly, "What do you want, Abigail?"

There was a brief pause, followed by a mumbled, "And here I thought it'd put you in a better mood," before Abby asked, "Can you put Jess on, please?"

Becker was so stunned by the request that he merely repeated blankly, "Jess?"

"Yeah, put her on - I haven't been able to get through on her mobile all morning, so I figured I'd try yours instead."

"Jess isn't here," Becker barked. "Why would she be?"

"Didn't she sleep over last night?"

"No, of course not!"

"Oh. I just thought that, after your date, she might've-"

"We didn't go out on our 'date', Abigail," he said, disgusted at the very idea. How could he have taken her out to a romantic dinner after discovering she was nothing but a cheater?

Abby, however, merely laughed. "Never figured it out, huh? Becker, you should've just, I don't know, kissed her or something - she certainly would've gotten a clue then."

But kissing Jess was the furthest thing from his mind. Besides, Abby's earlier comment was finally sinking in. "Wait - are you saying Jess never came home last night?" Although he was still furious with the girl, he flashed once again on the last time he'd seen her, standing in the middle of the public park, crying. What if something had happened to her? What if someone had come along and preyed on her vulnerable state? What if...?

"I gotta ring someone," he said abruptly, ringing off before Abby could protest. He scrolled through his address book and savagely punched in the number.

"Morning," Ghani answered through a yawn.

Without preamble, Becker barked, "Do you know where Chas is?"

"Becker?"

"Do you know where Chas is?" he demanded impatiently.

"Uh, yes," she said. "Not that it's any of your business, but I'm with him at his flat right now. Why?"

"We can't find Jess," he blurted out. "I wanted to know if Chas had...heard from her." Now was not the time to be blowing the whistle on the whole affair, but he needed to know that Jess was all right.

Becker heard Ghani's muffled voice saying, "It's Becker - he's looking for Jess."

A moment later Chas asked into the phone, "Hey, Beckham. Can't find Lil' Nosy?"

Becker clenched his jaw, wishing fisticuffs could be felt over the phone. "Did you see her last night?"

"No, not since practice."

"You mean not since in your car after practice," Becker snapped.

There was a brief pause, no doubt as Chas moved to another room. "Not so loud," he said in a hushed tone. "I don't want Neela hear."

"Yeah, I'll bet," Becker grumbled under his breath before asking, "So? Did you see her again? Did she come over?"

"No," Chas answered warily. "Neela and I just picked up some dinner and came back here."

Becker was starting to panic. While he hadn't wanted to envision Jess and Chas having some midnight rendezvous, at least it would've meant she was safe. "So you never heard from Jess? She didn't ring you?"

"No. Why? Is something wrong?"

Something was definitely wrong, and Becker had no intention of discussing it with Chas. He rung off without another word as he noticed another call from Abby coming through. He picked up and, before Abby could even speak, insisted, "We've got to go find her."

...

Jess didn't awake until almost 10, clearly having needed the sleep. She was momentarily disorientated, and it took her a moment to remember where she was. Over the last fortnight she'd awoken in so many various locations - her own bed, her couch, Becker's bed, Becker's couch, and even here in the Quiet Room - that the initial sense of disorientation had become a bit of a routine.

Another part of her routine was to automatically reach for her mobile to check for any texts. She realised, however, with some dismay that she didn't have it with her. Hoping she'd merely left it in her car and not back at the park, she sat up and started to tie on her trainers, suddenly realising how hungry she was. She glanced at the side table, where her "gourmet" dinner from last night still sat, uneaten. The yoghurt was probably no longer good, and the crisps weren't exactly breakfast fare, so she grabbed the apple and crunched into it, savouring its juiciness, before standing up and heading for the underground carpark.

She was relieved to find her mobile still on the front seat. However, as she picked it up, she realised it was dead. She knew from experience there was no cell reception down here, so it had probably worn down the battery trying to search for a connection all night. _Oh well_, Jess thought, _it's not like I'm expecting Becker to ring me._

And that's when it all came flooding back to her. All the mean things Becker had said to her echoed through her head, and she practically had to hold onto the car for support. Yet no tears came - apparently she was all cried-out. What was the point in crying anyway - it's not like it fixed anything. Becker still thought she was a cheat and a liar, and she doubted there was much she could do to change his mind. However, she knew he'd still be at the match today because that's the sort he was - he'd still coach and play alongside her, no matter what he thought her capable of, because duty came first.

So simply to prove that she was just as dedicated, she decided to do the same thing: she'd suck it up and go to the match as if nothing had happened.

But what to do until then? She was certain Abby and Connor would ask her about her dinner, and she knew she'd crumble under their friendly interrogation. No, she'd simply stay here until the match - she could certainly find some work that would keep her occupied until she had to leave. It was simple avoidance, and she knew she was merely delaying the inevitable, but at present she didn't feel up for anything more.

Though first she'd need more food to soothe her grumbling stomach, so she went back upstairs and headed straight for the canteen.

"Hey, Jess," Ravi said as she entered. "What are you doing here on a Saturday?"

She shrugged, thinking fast on her feet. "Uh, well, since I missed Thursday, I thought I'd come in and make up some of my time. Would you, perhaps, like me to watch the hub for a few hours?"

Ravi smiled. "If you're offering, sure!"

Jess nodded. "Absolutely. I'll go there straightaway after I get my coffee."

"Oh, the coffee machine's down," he said, pointing to the "Out of Order" sign someone had taped over it - she hadn't even noticed it last night.

Jess sighed, disappointed - it wasn't like she needed the coffee, after getting so much sleep, but it would've been soothing to sit at the hub nursing the hot, comfy beverage. Instead she got some biscuits from the vending machine as a makeshift breakfast and headed for the hub. Sitting down in her chair, she heaved a sigh, thankful to have something to pass the time. Within a few minutes she was completely absorbed in her work, all thoughts of Becker far from her mind, and several hours passed without her noticing.

"Parker?"

Jess jumped at the sound of Lester's voice. She spun around in her chair to see him exiting his office, a bottle in hand.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, crossing to the hub. "It's almost matchtime - shouldn't you be off strategising with Coach Becker or something?"

Jess swallowed hard at the sound of Becker's name but then put on a cheery smile. "I just thought I'd come in and make up some of the work I missed on Thursday. As you know, Ravi doesn't always..." She faded off, not wanting to specifically spell out all her coworker's deficiencies.

Lester, however, was well-aware of the back-up coordinator's incompetence and rolled his eyes. "Well, I appreciate your efforts to keep everything running smoothly."

Jess smiled - it was nice to have someone recognise that her hard work wasn't just an act**.**

"So what about you?" Jess asked, noticing how out-of-place he looked standing there in Ops in his red "Woolly Mammoths" t-shirt. "What are you doing here?"

"I, uh, just stopped by for something on the way out to the park," he said, not-so-subtly attempting to hide the bottle behind his back. Jess had already seen it, though, and gave a disapproving nod. He reluctantly brought it out, saying, "I know you said no more whiskey anywhere near Becker, but I figured the rest of us could probably use some after the match, no matter what the final score. And you shan't mind, certainly, since you'll be there to make sure the man doesn't 'overdue'."

She could tell by the look of shock and horror on Lester's face that he was just as surprised as she at her spontaneously bursting into tears. Her guv'nor's offhand comment had triggered a cascade of thoughts - that she'd never again be able to protect and look after Becker as she had the other night at her flat, that he'd never again even want to come near her flat, even that she'd never again have to wash his vomit from her hair - and for some reason the floodgates that she'd kept closed so tightly all morning spilt over uncontrollably.

"But we can tee-total, if you'd prefer," Lester offered quickly, his eyes open wide in discomfort.

But Jess couldn't stop. All she could think of was everything she'd lost in that one simple moment of misunderstanding - she hadn't just lost a potential boyfriend, she'd lost a close friend - her best friend, in fact - and she simply didn't know how she could go on.

She eventually noticed that Lester was reluctantly offering her his handkerchief. As she took it, he awkwardly patted her shoulder with an awkward "there, there."

Although she was well familiar with Lester's policies on open displays of emotion, his kindly gesture unleashed a fresh torrent of sobs, and Jess leant forward in her chair and laid her head upon his chest as she wept.

After several minutes - Jess had no real concept of how long - Lester carefully pushed her away with a simple, "It's getting late. We've, uh, got to get us both to the match."

Jess nodded and, without a word, obediently followed him down to his car, still sniffling into his linen hankie.

...

to be continued


	36. Ch 36 EXTREME ERUPTIONS

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 36 - EXTREME ERUPTIONS

...

Becker spent the next few hours frantically searching for Jess. Abby hadn't understood why he was so concerned, but what could he have said? He couldn't explain about leaving Jess sobbing on the field without giving away her affair with Chas, and he didn't want to muddy the waters when their focus should be on finding her and making sure she was safe. Instead he'd merely told Abby that he and Jess had had a minor disagreement, and the last time he'd seen her was at the park, which wasn't exactly the whole truth but wasn't quite a lie either. Abby had tried to elicit more details, clearly upset that they hadn't gone on their date, but Becker'd kept her questions at bay by bringing the topic back to the search.

The moment he'd rung off with Abby, Chas had called back. The prat actually seemed genuinely concerned about Jess, which was somewhat reassuring - at least he wasn't simply using her but actually cared. Of course, clearly he didn't care much for Ghani or else he never would've cheated on her in the first place, but Becker decided not to dwell on that at present. And since neither Chas nor Ghani had any idea where Jess might be, Becker rung off quickly, eager to start ringing the others.

Matt was first on his list, but it was Emily who picked up his mobile. This momentarily threw Becker, so he ended up giving away more to her than he'd intended.

"So you raged at her and then walked out on her," Emily summarised. "That wasn't very gentlemanly, was it?"

Becker wanted to snap back defensively that Jess's behaviour hadn't been very ladylike, but he kept that to himself and rung off quickly.

Moving on to the next soldier on his list, Becker felt a knot in his stomach as he punched in Scott's number, since the flirtatious soldier seemed just the type to take advantage of a weeping girl. Luckily Scott hadn't seen her last night, though he'd apparently met her and Emily at the Dog and Pony a few nights previous. Becker frowned at this new information - Jess hadn't mentioned anything about going out for drinks with Scott, and Becker now wondered what else she'd kept from him. But then he reminded himself that the Jess he knew - the innocent girl who was obviously sweet on him and blathered on whenever she was nervous - no longer existed. Instead, a new Jess - a lying, cheating, manipulative one - had taken her place, and Becker was still having a hard time keeping that in mind.

After ringing the other soldiers - all to no avail, as no one had seen or heard from Jess since practice - Becker decided to go out and start physically searching for her, since he couldn't simply stay in his flat just waiting for bad news. He quickly got dressed in his football kit, not wanting to come back to his flat beforehand in case his search ran late. Before leaving, he retrieved the one photograph he had of Jess. It was a snapshot of the two of them, taken at the last Christmas party and then tacked up onto the canteen's bulletin board. Jess had looked so cute in her festive holiday frock that Becker had secured the photo for himself, burying it in the bottom of his sock drawer. Now he was thankful he had because he'd at least be able to show it when inquiring if anyone had seen her.

His first stop was the park. He wasn't quite sure what he expected to find - some clue, perhaps, as to where she'd disappeared to - but her car was no longer there and he was extremely grateful that at least he found no signs of a struggle. Of course, in the state she'd been in, she might've gone willingly with a stranger without leaving a trace behind, a thought that sent chills up Becker's spine.

He tried to think of where to check next. Abby and Connor had promised to stop by the cafe and off-license and other places near their flat, so Becker decided to try the French restaurant where he'd planned to take Jess on their date, since he knew how much she'd been looking forward to her chocolate souffle. The whole idea of their date now seemed so far away - even though not 18 hours had passed, Becker's whole world had turned upside-down in that short time.

Unfortunately the waitstaff didn't recall seeing her last night. "_Non, monsieur_, she was not here last night. I would have remembered such a _belle jeune fille, certainement_!" the _maitre d' _said as he handed the photo back to Becker.

After that, Becker simply started going to every place he could think of that Jess had ever mentioned - cafes, sweet shops, even shoe stores - but no one had seen her. He even tried the Dog and Pony, as a last resort, to no avail. Walking out of the pub, he glanced at his watch. It was getting late, and he realised he should be getting to the match - even with good traffic, he already wouldn't get out to Hillingdon before 1300. As he started heading out for the M4, it occurred to him there was one place he hadn't yet checked. He turned the car around and sped towards the ARC, feeling foolish that he hadn't thought of it before.

Driving into the underground carpark, he was relieved to see Jess's car near the lifts. However, his initial sense of relief was replaced almost instantly with anger. If she'd been here all this time, why hadn't she bothered to ring her flatmates and let them know her whereabouts so they wouldn't worry? The old Jess never would've been so inconsiderate, but clearly this new one - the one who lied and slept around with other people's boyfriends - would. And she needed to know that that simply wasn't okay.

Becker pulled his car to a screeching halt next to hers and sprinted up the stairs, too angry and impatient to wait for the lifts. He stormed into Ops, demanding, "Where's Jess?"

Ravi turned from his seat at the hub, shrugging. "No idea. She was here one moment, covering my shift, and the next she was gone. Didn't even say she was leaving."

Becker gave a frustrated sigh. How typical of the new Jess to be irresponsible as well. He made a quick sweep of the corridors to see if she was still in the building, but she was nowhere to be found. Finally he realised he simply couldn't waste any more time - as the coach, he couldn't afford to be late to the kick-off. So he returned to his car and sped off for Hillingdon, going over and over in his head all the things he planned to say to Jess when he finally found her.

...

As Lester pulled his Jaguar into the carpark, Jess took a deep breath, steeling herself for what lay ahead. The ride had calmed her considerably, as had spilling her guts to Lester, though she doubted her heart-felt babbling had had a calming effect on her guv'nor. And while she was still apprehensive about seeing Becker again, she found it upsetting that she had not seen his car in the carpark, as it was nearly two o'clock.

Walking across the grass towards where the others were gathered, Jess couldn't help but smile seeing them all in their matching red shirts - they actually looked like a real team.

"There you are," Abby said cheerfully as Jess approached. "Where were you? You okay?"

Jess nodded, wondering why they might think she wasn't. Her tears had dried on the drive, and a quick glance at her reflection as she was getting out of the car showed her eyes were no longer particularly red. "I'm fine," she said tentatively, not wanting to give too much away.

"Becker will be relieved to hear that," Connor said.

Jess stared blankly at her flatmate. Clearly Becker hadn't cared much about her well-being when he'd verbally assaulted her in the park, so why care now? But before she could comment, she heard Emily's voice calling out.

"Jess, I'm glad you're safe. Are you...well?" Her question seemed pointed, as if she knew something had happened. But even if she did, Jess couldn't discuss it here, with the others around.

Instead, Jess gestured to her friend's blue and white goalkeeper jersey and gushed, "Love the uniform."

The former Victorian smiled. "Since the rest of the team was in red, I thought I'd go the patriotic route."

Jess nodded. "I approve." Just being surrounded by her friends again was making her feel better.

Though that feeling didn't last long.

"Where are the other footballs?" Matt asked patiently, nodding towards the field were Duggan and O'Rourke were currently practicing with the one football Emily had brought.

"Oh no!" Jess exclaimed, suddenly realising why the rest of the team had just been milling about instead of practicing. "They're back in the boot of my car. I didn't even think to bring them!"

"Don't worry about that," Neela said. "We have a bigger problem - the match is about to start, and we're one man - more specifically, one coach - down."

"S'okay," Connor said, nodding towards the carpark. "Here he comes."

His words practically made Jess's heart stop. She braced herself, not knowing what to expect - from him OR from her - and turned to find the soldier storming across the grass.

"Where the hell have you been, Jessica?"

Jess merely stared blankly at him as he approached. Ever since last night, she had imagined a million different scenarios about how their first meeting might go - she had pictured him sullen and rude, or blatantly giving her the cold shoulder, or perhaps simply ignoring her all together. But she certainly hadn't expected him to immediately start yelling at her again, especially about her whereabouts - what difference should it make to him where she'd been?

"I've been worried out of my head looking for you," he went on angrily as he reached her side. "I called everyone, but NO one had heard from you. I checked the park and that stupid French restaurant of yours and even the Dog and Pony, but not a single person had-"

"The Dog and Pony?" Jess repeated, surprised that he even knew the pub. "Why on earth would you look for me there?"

"Oh right, because that's another secret you thought you were keeping from me," Becker said snidely. "However, Scott blew the whistle on his little rendezvous with you and Emily on Thursday night."

"You were with Scott at the pub?" Matt asked Emily, frowning, obviously not having heard mention of Scott in the equation before.

"No," Emily said shortly, frowning back. "We merely saw him there."

Jess rolled her eyes. "What is it with the jealousy and suspicion with you boys recently?" First Becker, and now Matt - really, what was their problem?

"Well, it seems MY suspicions were well-founded," Becker said pointedly.

"Omigod!" Jess exclaimed angrily, all the frustration finally catching up with her. "First of all, I am NOT having an affair with Chas! And second, I'd think it was bloody obvious to anyone with a brain that Scott is the last person on earth Emily or I would EVER sleep with!"

"Uh, thanks," Scott mumbled under his breath as Neela turned on Jess, asking, "Wait, you and Chas?"

But before Jess could respond to either of them, Emily turned to Matt to comment, "Jess is correct in my intentions regarding Mr. Scott. However, I don't believe that I'm required to account for every moment I spend away from you, Matt - you're not my husband...nor anything else, at present, other than merely a flatmate," she said pointedly.

"Um, guys?" Connor tentatively interceded, sounding uncomfortable with all the dirty laundry that was being aired.

"Oh, so it's not an affair then?" Becker went on sarcastically to Jess, as if the others had never spoken. "So snogging in his car doesn't count?"

"I was NOT snogging ANYONE!" Jess insisted.

"Which you MIGHT have found out," Lester admonished, "if you hadn't jumped to ridiculous conclusions and left Jess sobbing in the middle of the park."

"Wait!" Abby said, turning towards Becker. "You left her WHAT? You said you two had a minor disagreement."

Jess gave a snort of derision. "Is that what he called it? A 'minor disagreement'?"

"You were SNOGGING Chas in the middle of the carpark!" Becker insisted. "I saw you! What was I supposed to do - just pretend it'd never happened and go ahead and take you out on our date?"

"Date?" NOW what was he talking about?

"Um, guys?" Connor repeated.

"Just use some common sense, Becker," Lester said. "Now why on earth would Jess be snogging Chas when he just got engaged to Neela?"

Ghani looked to her guv'nor, thoroughly surprised. "What? We're not engaged."

Lester spun back towards Jess, looking somewhat like a deer in the headlights. "But I thought you said..."

Jess frantically shook her head, horrified. "No! Not until tonight."

"Oh," Lester responded, clearly as sick as Jess over what he'd just done.

"Um, guys?"

"WHAT, Connor?" Abby snapped impatiently.

Cringing at his fiance's tone, he pointed across the pitch. "Have you taken a look at our competition?"

Everyone turned to watch the RSID team warming up. Every player had their own football and was kicking it around in such a way that Beckham himself would've been envious. It was clear that every single one of them was not only a true athlete but an actual footy player.

The ARC team, however, didn't have much time to dwell on their imminent slaughter for the referee blew his whistle, letting them know it was time to start the game.

...

to be continued


	37. Ch 37 FOUNDERING FOOTBALL

Bend It Like Becker

...

Author's Note: So I suddenly had this bizarre notion that I should post all the remaining chapters before my birthday on Thursday so that I could say that I completed a novel-length fanfic whilst I was [insert age here]. I will do my best, even though I have ten hours at work and a three-hour opera rehearsal tomorrow! For those who don't want the story to end so quickly, feel free to space out the reading of the last chapters. :) Here are the next two, and hopefully I'll have the last four up tomorrow!

...

Chapter 37 - FOUNDERING FOOTBALL

...

The ARC team was doomed from the moment they lost the coin toss!

At the first kick-off, the ball was kicked right past Neela to one of the RSID players, who bobbed and weaved around Becker and the other midfielders, dribbled through the line of backs, and kicked the ball at the goal. Emily was so taken off-guard that she barely even lunged for it, and the ball easily sailed past her into the net. The RSID team all cheered and gave high fives whilst the ARC members merely glared at one another, angry with themselves and each other.

The ball was taken back to the centre spot, and Neela tapped the ball towards Abby, who headed downfield aggressively - TOO aggressively, unfortunately, for the ref blew his whistle and reached for his pocket, whipping out the yellow card with a dramatic flourish. Only two minutes into the game and they were already behind AND had been yellow-carded!

And things didn't improve much after that. Abby was so shaken that she seemed hesitant to even go near the ball for fear of drawing a second yellow and getting kicked out of the game. And everyone still seemed distracted by the heated things that had been said before the match. The only positive was that, after losing the first goal so easily, Emily seemed more determined than ever and was focussing all her pent-up frustrations on the ball - this was especially important considering the RSID team kept slipping past the porous ARC defense and blasting shots at her goal. Emily let two more slip through, but her save average was actually quite high, considering the number of attempts made.

Becker was watching it all as if through a fog. Not having practiced, nor even gone for his morning run, for over four days, his muscles were tight and sore. And although his ankle didn't hurt anymore, he was unconsciously favouring it, worried about reinjuring himself. But his physical ailments were the least of his problems. His mind was in turmoil, going over and over everything that had happened.

He'd watched Jess sneaking off with Chas and snogging in his car - Becker KNEW what he'd seen! But what had Lester blurted out, something about Chas and Ghani getting engaged tonight? Why would Jess have told Lester such a lie when the truth was certain to come out sooner or later? No matter how manipulative or inconsiderate or irresponsible this new Jess was, she wasn't stupid. So what possible motivation would she have had to come up with a lie that could be so easily refuted?

So perhaps it wasn't one. Perhaps the pair really were getting engaged. But if so, what had Jess been doing with Chas in his car? Becker had definitely seen an embrace or two, not to mention at least one kiss. And if there were a reasonable explanation for those, then why had Chas been so nervous on the phone about not letting Ghani overhear about their time together in the car?

Becker's mind spun endlessly for some time before he came up with a possible solution. Perhaps Chas had told Jess about his intentions. The two of them were obviously close, the snogging notwithstanding. And perhaps Jess had been telling the truth, perhaps it hadn't been snogging, perhaps it had just been Jess being Jess. Becker knew better than anyone how demonstrative Jess could be when she was happy, having often been the lucky recipient of such friendly demonstrations, so perhaps she'd merely been expressing her joy at Chas's news. And if that were the case, it meant that Jess had done absolutely nothing wrong...and Becker was the most horrible person on the planet!

He'd been focussing all day on that last moment he'd seen her at the park, but now his memory attempted to go back further. Jess had looked genuinely confused when he'd started yelling at her. At the time, he'd been convinced it was all an act, since he'd just witnessed her deceit firsthand, but perhaps he'd been wrong. Her tears had certainly seemed real enough. And Becker could've sworn that just now, before the game, her eyes and nose had seemed a little redder than normal, as if she'd be crying again. To Lester perhaps? That would explain why Lester knew so much...and why Jess's car was still at the ARC.

Becker was starting to feel sick. If his deductions were correct, if he'd yelled and accused her of terrible things that were completely unfounded, then she might never forgive him. Not that she should - his behaviour had been appalling...if, in fact, hers hadn't been.

But how could he be sure? How could he find out whether her time in the car with Chas had been an innocent interchange, whether her crying and denials had all been genuine?

"Becker!"

Chas's voice from the sidelines brought the soldier's attention back to the match just in time to realise an RSID player was headed straight for him with the ball. Becker shook away his thoughts of Jess and attempted to steal the ball, but he slid on the grass and fell as the pretty, athletic girl weaved around him. From the ground, Becker watched as his opponent swerved around Lester as well, and before Matt could even get near her, she drove the ball into the upper left corner of the net, just out of reach of Emily's outstretched hands.

As the RSID team cheered their fourth goal, Becker heard his name called once again. He turned to see Chas frantically waving to him, trying to get his attention. The soldier couldn't tell at first what the blond bloke was trying to communicate, but as Becker started to stand, Chas's gestures became more exaggerated such that Becker finally caught on. The soldier instantly lay back on the grass and called out towards the ref, "Medic!"

...

Jess hadn't been that worried when she saw Becker fall - it was clear he wasn't in any real pain, certainly not like when he'd injured his ankle at practice - so she'd immediately returned her attention to the match just as the other team scored. She was surprised, therefore, when she heard Becker call out "Medic," and even more surprised when she saw Chas rushing onto the field to Becker's aid. Jess was instantly worried - even though she was still angry and hurt with the soldier, she certainly didn't want to see him hurt. She hurried towards where he lay as the rest of the team followed suit.

As she got closer, she realised Becker still didn't appear to be in any pain, even though Chas was knelt by his foot, as if tending to an injury. But before she could ask what was wrong, Chas launched into her and the others, making sure to keep his voice low so the ref couldn't hear.

"What the hell is wrong with everyone today?" he asked without preamble as the rest of the team gathered about their supposedly injured player. "Have you all forgotten every-"

He was stopped mid-word by a passionate kiss from Neela, which nearly knocked him off-balance from where he knelt. When they finally separated, he gave her a pleased but mystified look. "What was that for?"

Neela shrugged, smiling as she stood back up. "No reason. Just happy to see you."

Jess couldn't help but smile herself - she was certain that she could now survive whatever the rest of the afternoon held in store for her with the knowledge that at least someone was getting a happy ending.

Chas shook his head, trying to get his mind refocussed. "Um...anyway...what was I saying?"

"What the hell is wrong with us?" Connor helpfully prompted.

"Oh, right! Exactly!" Chas said, back on track. "So what happened to everything you all have learnt at practice these last few days? You're all playing like a bunch of..." He gestured wildly, unable to come up with a suitable simile to express just how truly awful they were.

"You've seen the other team," Connor replied. "Each player is like a one-man Arsenal!"

Chas nodded. "Yes, there's no question that their players are more skilled, but there's no team."

"Yes there is," Becker countered, propping himself up on his elbows so he could glare at Chas. "And it's currently slaughtering us 4 to nothing."

"No, I repeat, they have loads of good players; they don't have a team. Can't you see that each one of them is so intent on showing off their own skills that they don't even bother to pass the ball, even when there's another player in a better position to score?"

"They ALL seem to be in a position to score," Lester grumbled.

"And that's because you aren't playing like a team. You're not working together at all. And if there's one thing I've learnt about you guys this past week, it's that you can do amazing things when you work as a team, a TRUE team, not just a collection of random-uh, yeah, I think it might be sprained. We're going to need to get this wrapped."

Jess was confused and alarmed by this sudden change of subject...until she realised that the ref had wandered over to see what was taking so long. The ref gave an impatient nod, indicating they needed to get Becker off the field sooner rather than later, and Chas pointedly said to Becker, "C'mon, let's get you up." The ref then started back towards the centre spot, where the ARC team was due for another kick-off as soon as their "injury" was taken care of.

Chas slowly "helped" Becker to his feet as he continued, keeping his voice lower. "Anyway, as I was saying, as a team, you guys are much greater than the sum of your parts - use that to your advantage." He glanced about at the other players until his eyes alighted on the blonde zoologist. "And Abby, what the hell happened to you? You're the second best player on this team, yet you're acting as if you're suddenly afraid of the ball. What gives?"

"I was yellow-carded," she explained. "I'm worried I'll get kicked out."

"So what if you were carded? That doesn't mean you stop playing. You know the rules, you know where the line is. You should still be going up to that line - just be careful not to cross it."

Abby nodded, clearly chagrinned. "Will do."

By this point Becker was upright, standing on one foot, his arm slung over Chas's shoulder as if being supported by the blond man.

"As for the rest of you," Chas continued, "get it together and start playing like I know you're capable of."

Chas and Becker started to make their way off the field as the rest of the team went back to their positions, ready to play. Jess noticed with some amusement that Becker was actually limping on the "wrong" foot - he was favouring his previously injured ankle, not the one he'd supposedly just hurt. Luckily no one else took any notice, and she was thankful both that Becker was okay and that his fall had given Chas the opportunity to give them all such a stern talking to, since they'd obviously needed it.

And the entire team had seemed to take Chas's lecture to heart. At the kick-off, Neela tapped the ball to Abby, who pushed it forward a ways before passing it back upfield to Scott, who had temporarily filled in Becker's position at centre forward. Scott quickly passed the ball to O'Rourke on the outside, who dribbled it quite a distance before lobbing it into the penalty area. The two female forwards sprinted downfield, and Neela succeeded in heading the ball to Abby, who kicked it on the volley directly into the net before the goalkeeper even knew what was happening.

They'd scored! And all because they'd decided to work together as a team. Jess couldn't help but cry out, "Go, Mammoths!" She then turned towards the sidelines, hoping to see Chas's pleased face, since he was responsible for this sudden turnaround. Instead, she saw the blond man and Becker huddled together in the midst of an intense discussion - they'd clearly missed the entire play. Jess gulped nervously, guessing the topic of their conversation, before returning her attention to the match. After all, the RSID team was about to kick off, and she needed to be ready for them.

...

to be continued


	38. Ch 38 ABORTED APOLOGY

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 38 - ABORTED APOLOGY

...

Becker sat out of the match for almost ten full minutes. He was pretending to keep up the illusion of being injured, but that wasn't the real reason he didn't rush back in. In truth, he needed some time to process what he'd just learnt, and he didn't think the pitch was probably the best place to do that.

Once Chas had "helped" Becker off the field and sat him upon the grass, he'd said, "I should wrap your ankle, just so the refs don't suspect anything."

Becker nodded and let him proceed, not even thinking about his supposed injury. He was concentrating instead on the fact that he was momentarily alone with Chas, that he'd just been handed the perfect opportunity to find out the truth about what had happened between him and Jess last night. But how to approach the subject? If something sordid was going on, Chas was likely to be defensive from the start, so Becker decided to be vague and see where that led.

"So, uh... Tonight, huh?" He couldn't say vaguer than that.

Luckily he didn't need to say more. Chas stiffened nervously for an instant before relaxing, having concluded, "Jess told you."

Becker gave a slight nod, wondering if that counted as a lie, before Chas rushed on.

"I'm just so nervous about it, I had to tell someone. And Jess...well, I knew she'd be supportive. Always been a bit of a romantic, that girl." A look of panic suddenly crossed the blond bloke's face. "You don't think she'd tell Neela, do you?"

"No. I'm sure she wouldn't." While Becker knew this wasn't a lie, considering Lester had already spilt the beans, he couldn't help but feel guilty about his lack of complete honesty. But what did it matter anyway? It was clear from Ghani's kiss what her answer was going to be tonight, and no doubt Chas wouldn't care afterwards whether she'd been surprised or not.

Chas let out a relieved sigh just as Neela's voice called out to them.

"Chas! Becker! Didn't you catch that?'

The two men turned to see Chas's soon-to-be fiance hustling back to their side of the field as their opponents set up for a kick-off. Becker didn't catch on at first, but Chas instantly recognised the significance.

"Hey, we just scored!" he said before hollering, "Go, Team!"

Becker gave a weak smile, but he wasn't really paying attention - he was too busy trying to sort things out.

So it seemed his deductions had been spot on - Chas was planning to propose to Ghani tonight, and he'd told Jess about it, no doubt in the car yesterday evening. It was clear from the way he talked that Chas didn't see Jess as anything more than a friend and confidante, so the "snogging" Becker had supposedly witnessed must've just been some sort of misunderstanding.

No. "Misunderstanding" was not the correct term. A misunderstanding implied something that could be easily remedied and forgotten. But Becker had seen to it that it'd become much more complicated than that. He'd yelled at Jess and accused her of terrible things, and that was something that couldn't be so easily forgotten, let alone forgiven.

And even if Jess were eventually able to forgive his atrocious behaviour, he wasn't so sure he'd ever be able to. After all, he'd been haunted by the image of Jess's sobbing face since yesterday, and that was when he was still furious and thought it was all an act. But knowing now that her tears had been genuine, he couldn't imagine his conscience allowing himself to sleep easy for some time.

In the meantime, he needed to apologise profusely to her at the first opportunity. Of course, he wouldn't blame her if she didn't accept it - hell, he wouldn't blame her if she slapped his face and said she never wanted to lay eyes on him again - he deserved no better, after what he'd done to her. But at the very least she deserved to hear his abject apology. Not now, though - not during the match that they'd all been working so hard for this past fortnight.

That same match that was slowly starting to penetrate Becker's self-flagellation. The ARC team had clearly taken Chas's advice to heart and were actually playing together as they had at practice these last few evenings. As he watched, Abby and Ghani headed downfield towards the RSID goal. Unfortunately, the RSID team had already figured out that the two girls were the best players on the team and were double-teaming them both. Therefore, it wasn't a surprise when the ball was stolen from Abby right as a whistle blew.

Becker turned to see Connor on the ground inside the box, trying to stop the blood now gushing from his nose. Abby hurried to his side and helped him to his feet as several of the RSID players argued with the ref over the yellow card. The ball was placed on the penalty spot, and Abby gave Connor an encouraging pat on the back before hurrying out of the box so he could take his kick. His extra practice with Emily had evidently paid off, for Connor managed to spin the ball in such a way that it curved around the goalkeeper, landing squarely in the net.

Becker hopped to his feet, forgetting that he was supposed to be injured. Although things remained a mess between him and Jess, he was more interested in getting on the field at present - after everything that had happened, after all the trouble he'd caused, he needed to feel a part of the team.

As the RSID team brought the ball back to the centre, ready for their kick-off, Becker signalled to the ref that he was coming back in. He ran onto the pitch, hearing Chas call after him, "Go get 'em, Beckham."

The moment the soldier was out amongst his teammates, he could instantly feel a change from earlier. Having not played at practice since they'd assigned positions, Becker instantly noticed the difference, sensing how interconnected they now all felt. In fact, it reminded him of when the team was out on an anomaly, with everyone acting together as a single unit - it felt truly incredible.

Unfortunately, immediately after the kick-off, one of the RSID players managed to get the ball past Becker and the other midfielders. However, Jess was there in a matter of seconds, staying tight on the bloke as he tried to dodge and weave, preventing him from making any headway downfield. Chas had been right - their opponents were too busy showing off their own skills to pass the ball - and Jess was definitely using this to the ARC team's advantage. She wasn't particularly aggressive towards the large athletic man, but she kept on him like a Welsh corgi, herding him ever so subtly directly towards Lester till eventually the RSID player was trapped between them and passing was no longer an option. Lester, for whom lack of aggression was not an issue, immediately went for the ball, stealing it and quickly passing it to Becker.

The soldier turned and headed downfield, dribbling and kicking back and forth with O'Rourke as they'd done in their passing drills last week, deeply confusing the RSID team, who seemed bewildered by the entire concept. Eventually Ghani freed herself from her defenders, and Becker managed to pass her the ball. She made her way towards the goal and then feigned passing the ball to Abby. The defenders shifted their weight in Abby's direction, allowing Ghani to go around their other side and score.

"Woo hoo! Go Mammoths!" Connor's cheers could be heard from all the way down the field, and Becker felt great to have been part of such a play. He turned and watched Jess give Lester a high five for their excellent teamwork before looking Becker's way. The soldier felt his breath catch in his throat as their eyes met, not sure how she'd react, but she gave him a simple nod in acknowledgement, which was, frankly, more than he could've hoped for. He returned the same in kind, wondering how many minutes were left in the half, how much longer before he could talk to her and tell her how sorry he was.

But the whistle for the RSID team's kick-off blew, and Becker's mind was instantly on the match once again.

...

By the time the referee blew the whistle to end the half, Jess was exhausted but pleased. The ARC team was still losing, but the score was 5 to 4, which was rather respectable, especially considering how the half had started. It was amazing to see the change that had come over the team after Chas's chastising; all the pre-game interpersonal chaos had dissolved away, leaving them to work together as a team on the pitch. But as they now left the field, Jess was overwhelmed once again by the feelings that had crowded her mind earlier.

As she reached the sidelines, parched and perspiring, Jess realised that she hadn't even thought to bring any water for herself when she'd left the ARC with Lester - of course, her mind had been a bit preoccupied at the time! She guessed that the others had brought extra bottles, and she could've easily walked over and asked Abby or Emily for a sip, but she wasn't up to facing them right now. She looked about the park to see if there was a drinking fountain somewhere, but instead she caught Chas's eye. He smiled and headed her way, holding a water bottle out to her.

"Looks like you could use this," he offered.

Jess nodded and took a giant swig before uttering, "Thanks."

"So, Lil' Nosy," Chas began quietly, after first checking to make sure Neela wasn't within listening distance, "I understand you're incapable of keeping a secret."

Jess gasped. How had he found out about that? Had Becker ratted her out?

"Chas, I'm so sorry," Jess began. "I didn't mean to-"

But she stopped as Chas put his arm about her shoulders and gave her a friendly hug. "Jess, I'm just teasing. I don't mind that you told Becker. To be honest, I'm not even that surprised, all things considered. I'm just thankful Neela doesn't know."

Jess stared at Chas, utterly confused.

And Chas's next statement confused her even further. "And I was totally wrong about Becker, by the bye."

"Wrong?" she snorted derisively, as clearly no one had been more wrong than her. She'd thought Becker was a friend - not to mention a gentleman - but clearly he was neither to have said such things to her.

Chas, however, was obviously unaware of what had transpired in the last 20 hours or so for he nodded and continued, "I thought he simply had the hots for you - and who can blame him, really, all things considered - but it's now obvious to me that he really cares deeply for you, Jess."

Jess couldn't help but laugh! Talk about wrong!

But Chas went on, "He was in hysterics this morning, you know, when he called looking for you. He was beyond worried. I actually felt sorry for the bloke - he was in such a state, it kind of reminded me of some other lovesick fellow I know," he teased self-deprecatingly as he glanced longingly across the grass towards Neela. He then turned back to Jess, adding earnestly, "You two really belong together, Jess, and I wish you all the happiness that Neela and I have."

Jess shook her head. A part of her wanted to tell him the truth, but she knew Chas WAS, in fact, a gentleman and was liable to resort to fisticuffs to defend Jess's honour, which was the last thing they needed during halftime! Perhaps she could simply explain to Chas that he was mistaken, that she and Becker could never be, and hopefully he'd drop the subject. But before she could say anything, she noticed Becker sheepishly approaching.

Chas must've noticed the soldier as well for he gave Jess a meaningful wink. "Speaking of...," he said with a smile, patting Jess on the back before hurrying off, leaving her alone to face Becker.

"Hey," Becker said as he walked up to her, sounding uncertain.

"Hey," she replied shortly. She had no intention of making this any easier for him.

"So, uh...could I talk to you for a minute?" he asked hesitantly.

For some unknown reason - perhaps because he was sporting the Look, although this time he truly had done something unchivalrous which he should feel guilty about - Jess nodded and let him lead her over towards the high bushes far from the pitch. Once there, he frowned, and Jess took a deep breath, steeling herself for whatever was about to come.

However, what came was a distant squealing of tyres, followed by a sickening crash from somewhere beyond the high shrubbery. Becker looked as startled as she felt, and it took him a moment to resume talking, as if the noise had been some sort of ominous sign.

"Jess, I just wanted to say... What I mean is... I didn't mean all... I mean, I DID, but that's only because I thought..." Becker stopped stammering long enough to give a frustrated sigh. "But you weren't, of course, so I never should've... I mean, I shouldn't have anyway, certainly not the way I did. No matter what, you didn't deserve... I mean, I had no right to... Jess, what I'm trying to say is...I...am..."

Jess could've sworn she heard the beginnings of an "S" on his lips, but he merely trailed off, the word aborted. Now it was her turn to sigh - after all the horrible things he'd said to her, the least he could do was utter the word "sorry". Instead, no words - not sorry nor any others - came out. Jess's blood was just starting to simmer when she slowly began to realise that his focus was no longer on her nor their conversation. Instead, he was staring past her, a look of utter bewilderment on his face. Jess finally spun around to discover what had so captured his attention and gave a startled gasp at what she saw - a dazed sheep, covered in blood, stumbling out of the bushes and heading for the pitch.

Perhaps Becker's sorry could wait.

...

to be continued


	39. Ch 39 SHEEP SALVAGE

Bend It Like Becker

...

Author's note: I didn't quite make it - it's after midnight, and I was only satisfied with the next two chapters. Oh well, I should have the final two posted tomorrow night (if I don't collapse from exhaustion after my exhausting birthday schedule!)

...

Chapter 39 - SHEEP SALVAGE

...

"Abby! Get over here!" Becker hollered as he ran with Jess over towards the injured sheep. He heard Abby exclaim, "What the hell?" which were his thoughts exactly, as he and Jess got on either side of the dazed animal, blocking it from wandering any farther till it could be examined. The blonde zoologist was there in an instant, with Connor and the others close on her heels. Abby fell to her knees and carefully checked the sheep over as Matt and Emily ran past them all into the high bushes from whence the animal had stumbled.

"Is it okay?" Jess asked, clearly worried.

Abby nodded, her brow creased in confusion. "The blood doesn't appear to be hers - she's got no cuts, though clearly she's been through some sort of trauma."

"But why's it here?" Connor asked. "I mean, I know it wouldn't be a football match without some sort of hooliganism, but last I checked, sheep weren't exactly the biggest fans."

Before Becker could even roll his eyes at Temple's inane comment, Matt and Emily reappeared through the bushes.

"There's been an accident," Emily panted, out of breath. "On the motorway."

"An accident?" Lester repeated.

"Yeah, with a lorry full of sheep," Matt explained.

"That explains the crash we heard," Jess commented.

Becker nodded. "And the sheep."

"The lorry's overturned," Matt continued. "It's blocking all the eastbound lanes."

"Any injuries?" Becker asked. "People, I mean?"

Emily shook her head. "None that we could see."

"But many of the sheep are injured and starting to scatter," Matt said.

"We've got to go help them," Abby insisted, jumping to her feet and rushing off before anyone could stop her.

Lester nodded. "Well, don't the rest of you just stand there. Go sort this out."

"Someone give me their mobile," Jess said.

Automatically, Becker ran over to his kit and dug both his mobile and an EMD out of his rucksack. He tossed his phone to Jess as he ran past her and was almost to the bushes when the whistle blew.

"Dammit!" Becker said, stopping in his tracks. He'd momentarily forgotten about the match! The half-time was apparently over, for they were now being summoned back to the pitch for the second half. Becker turned towards Lester, not knowing how to proceed.

Luckily their guv'nor had his priorities straight. "This is just a game. I'll take it up with the Minister if he has a problem with it. Now go - take whoever you need, and the rest of us will muddle through here as best we can."

Becker looked to Matt, who shrugged and said, "You're the coach, mate. You pick the teams."

Becker nodded, instantly ordering, "Emily, you stay - we need you as goalkeeper." He then glanced around at the others. Abby was long gone, and though Jess was already making assorted calls, she probably wouldn't be too long with her task. Becker didn't want to completely deplete either team, so he made a quick decision. "Matt and Connor, you're with me."

"But that only leaves us with seven to play," Emily pointed out, including Jess in her count.

"I could fill in," Chas offered. "I don't exactly work for the ARC, but-"

"Close enough," Lester said, luckily not saying any more.

"He'll need a uniform," Ghani said.

Without a second thought, Becker started to strip off his own shirt, but Emily advised, "He may wear my red shirt, as I'm not wearing it for the game."

Becker gave her an approving nod, and Chas ran with Emily over to her kit as Becker pulled his own shirt back down. He then turned back towards Lester, who urged him on. "Go. We'll hold the fort till you get back."

Becker nodded and, without another word, took off through the bushes.

When he exited on the other side, he stopped dead in his tracks. Passing through the high shrubbery had not been unlike stepping through an anomaly in terms of the jarring change of scenery. Instead of the vast stretches of the recreation ground's cool, green lawns, he was now upon hot tarmac on the edge of a stark motorway, with twisted metal and blood strewn about everywhere. Becker stood there blinking in the harsh, reflected sunlight from the overturned lorry, not even knowing where to begin.

Luckily he wasn't in charge on this side. "Connor and I will set up a perimeter," Matt called out to him. "You go help Abby, yeah?"

Becker nodded and rushed over to the centre of the bloodbath, where Abby seemed to be examining each sheep in turn.

"What can I do?" he asked.

"For a start, you can take care of this one for me," she said, standing up and moving onto the next animal.

Becker stared down at the injured sheep bleating mournfully up at him with wide, innocent eyes. "Uh...take care of it?" he repeated, not exactly sure what Abby had in mind.

"Kill it," she said matter-of-factly, as if it were obvious.

"Kill it?" Abby was usually the one fighting hard to save every creature they encountered, even the deadly ones. But this was a simple sheep that couldn't do anyone any harm, injured or no. Did Abby really want him to just kill it in cold-blood?

Apparently so. "Yes, Becker. She's not going to make it, so just put her out of her misery. This one, too," she said, gesturing to the one she'd just examined as she hurried on.

Becker looked back down at the pathetic creature staring pleadingly up at him. Something about the pain in its eyes reminded him of Jess last night, which wasn't exactly making this any easier. But Abby was right - if there was nothing to be done, the humane thing was to make its passing quick and painless. Besides, Abby was getting too far ahead, and eventually she might reach an injured sheep that required actual veterinary assistance. So Becker turned his EMD up to the highest setting and tried his best to avoid meeting the sheep's eyes as he mercifully shot it in the head.

...

As Jess rung off her last call, she went through a mental checklist, making sure she'd taken care of everything. She would've much preferred to be in her chair at the hub, where everything she needed could be accessed instantaneously at her fingertips, but she was making due as best she could.

She didn't actually have as much to do as she would've had it been an actual anomaly. That would've required her dispatching all needed personnel to the scene, as secrecy was paramount. But here there was no anomaly to lock, no prehistoric incursion to keep hidden from the public. The team only needed to contain the sheep and keep order on the motorway until the traffic officers arrived.

Jess's first call had naturally been to the Highways Agency. Of course, the accident had already been called in, but being a dispatcher herself, Jess had been able to give specific information that would help ensure the proper people were sent out in a timely manner.

She'd then made several calls regarding the sheep. First she'd contacted a lorry company in order to secure transport of the surviving sheep from the scene. She'd also notified the RSPCA Clinic in Hillingdon for emergency veterinary care for the injured animals. And she'd just now rung off from DEFRA, who would ensure the disposal of the animal carcasses.

With both the accident itself and the sheep - healthy, injured, and dead - taken care of, Jess's job was now essentially done. Her last step was to ring Matt, to let him know what she'd accomplished and see if the team needed anything further. Barely glancing at the mobile in her hand, she automatically touched the phone icon, expecting her favourites to pop up, and was therefore momentarily confused when the recent call list was displayed instead. She glanced at the list, which was filled with calls to almost every member of the team that very morning, and it took Jess a moment to remember that she was on Becker's mobile, not her own. Looking at the number of calls reminded her of something Chas had said about Becker being hysterical when looking for her this morning - the list certainly seemed to support this fact. Jess was frankly surprised that Becker had cared so much about her whereabouts, and it seemed to somewhat appease her.

Flipping over to his favourites, Jess was further pleased to see she was still at the top of his list. It occurred to her that blithely handing someone your personal mobile required a great deal of trust, yet Becker hadn't thought twice about tossing his over to her. After all that had happened, that meant a lot, and Jess was determined not to abuse his trust, if only to prove to him that she was a far better person than he'd given her credit for last night. Thus she resisted the urge to search further, instead simply ringing Matt.

"Jess?" the team leader answered, correctly translating his caller ID. "What've you got?"

"I've ordered two small lorries to transport the sheep, vets are standing by, and the traffic officers should be there soon."

"I can see their flashing lights now," Matt said. "Good work, Jess."

"Do you need anything else?"

"No, I think that should do us. You best get back to the match, yeah?"

"Will do. Be careful," she added before ringing off. It felt weird to be cutting off communications when the team was still in the field, even though she knew there was nothing else to be done. And she knew that the other team - the one out on the pitch - sorely needed her. She debated whether she should keep the mobile on her, in case Matt needed to get in touch. If it'd been her own mobile, she would've gladly risked it, but since Becker had entrusted her with his, she merely turned up the volume on his ringer and then left it on the sidelines.

Glancing at the field, she noticed that Neela was currently taking the ball back to the centre spot for another kick-off, meaning the RSID team had scored yet again. Jess waved to the ref to let him know she was substituting back in and ran over to take up her position. She could instantly sense how depleted the team was, and, as play resumed, Jess realised that, due to this depletion, everyone had completely reverted to their old manner of playing. All sense of positions and teamwork were gone, and they were once again playing every man for himself, much like the more-skilled RSID players, which meant the ARC team's one advantage was now gone.

Since Becker wasn't here, it was up to Jess to act as coach. As Emily caught the ball and got ready to dropkick it back upfield, Jess called out to her teammates, "Guys, just because we're undermanned doesn't mean we've changed games. Instead of 4:3:3, we're now 3:2:2 - we each have more ground to cover, but otherwise it's the same. You follow?"

Scott and O'Rourke, who both had been anxiously hovering near the goal, nodded and made their way out closer to the midfield. This meant that when Emily kicked the ball to Duggan, he actually had someone downfield to pass it to. Unfortunately, when O'Rourke attempted to pass the ball on to Chas, who had filled in Abby's position as a forward, an RSID player intercepted it, but at least the concept was sound, and Jess hoped they'd be able to pull it together.

The RSID team, however, was eager to capitalise on their advantage of numbers, so instead of double-teaming the forwards, as they'd done earlier, they were now all crowded in the ARC's half of the field. They were still being gloryhounds and weren't passing to their teammates, but just their added presence in the smaller space meant that the defenders were being blocked from getting to the ball. Emily was being run ragged lunging for the repeated goal attempts, and her exhaustion was starting to slow her response time. After the RSID team made yet another goal, Jess realised that something needed to be done.

As they brought the ball back to the centre, Jess called out to her teammates, "Change of plans. When we have the ball, 3:2:2 - when they do, 5:1:1. Got it?"

She looked meaningfully at Scott and O'Rourke, who each gave her an understanding nod. She then caught Chas's eye, hoping he was okay with her strategy, and he gave her an approving smile before turning to kick off.

...

to be continued


	40. Ch 40 COLLISION CONCLUSION

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 40 - COLLISION CONCLUSION

...

Once the triaging was complete, Becker decided to switch places with Connor. The soldier guessed Connor would prefer to be beside his fiance as she attempted to treat the injured sheep, whilst Becker himself desperately wanted some distance from them. He was surprised at how much the killing had affected him, and he badly needed to get away and clear his head.

Connor and Matt had managed to collect the wandering sheep and herd them off to the side of the motorway, allowing one lane to be opened to traffic. The flashing amber lights of the Highways Agency vehicle had been visible in the distance for almost 15 minutes now, but due to the back-up, the traffic officers had yet to make it on-scene. Thus Becker made his way over to relive Connor and start directing the traffic around the accident himself. He noticed the concerned looks of some of the rubberneckers as they slowly passed by, and it suddenly occurred to him that he must look quite a sight, wielding his threatening-looking EMD whilst wearing a cartoon mammoth on his red tee. Becker sighed - this was precisely why he'd fought so hard to keep the soldiers in uniform! He rolled his eyes, trying to ignore the stares of the passers-by, but he couldn't help but notice one particular passenger, sat in the back of a Mercedes, clad in an expensive-looking pin-striped suit. As the man gawped, Becker realised he looked strangely familiar, though he couldn't quite place where he'd seen the man before.

Once in the groove of the mindless activity, Becker's thoughts began to wander. It suddenly occurred to him that he'd never finished his apology to Jess, and he hoped he'd get a chance to do that as soon as they were done here. However, he realised that he owed her much more than just a simple apology. Yet what could he do? How could he ever hope to make it up to her?

He was distracted from these thoughts, however, by the arrival of the yellow-and-black Highways Agency vehicle. It pulled up next to Matt, and two orange-and-yellow-clad officers spoke to the team leader as two more hurried over to where Abby and Connor were treating the sheep. Becker kept to his post as Matt obviously filled the officers in, and eventually one left Matt and approached the soldier to take over directing traffic. Becker then joined Matt and the others where they were now assembling on the hard shoulder.

"I think we've done all we can here," Matt said. "The Highways Agency has the situation under control now."

Abby nodded. "I filled them in on the casualties. There's about 40 sheep that'll need treatment. Over 60 didn't make it."

Despite her emotionless statement, Becker could tell that the loss of life was finally catching up with her as well, and he gave his mate a reassuring pat on her shoulder. She turned and gave him a small smile in acknowledgement as Connor pointed out cheerily, "But on the bright side, almost 100 came through without a scratch - that's more than can be said for me playing footy."

As the others laughed, Becker frowned - he'd momentarily forgotten all about the match. He quickly glanced at his watch, realising there were probably only about 10 minutes left in the game.

"Well, we should probably be getting back, yeah?" Matt said, practically reading Becker's mind. "Good work, everyone."

The team all nodded and, leaving the chaos of the sheep far behind, ran back through the high bushes into the park. As they approached the pitch, Becker watched the play intensely, trying to take in how things were going. Most of the RSID players were crowded on the ARC's half, making it extremely obvious how depleted their team was. He stared at them a moment, noticing that the ARC team seemed to be playing some kind of 5:1:1 formation, with Duggan having fallen back to fill in for Matt and Chas out in the midfield.

An RSID player was racing toward the goal with the ball, but Lester aggressively went after him, forcing his opponent to take a rushed, long-range shot on the goal, which Duggan easily stopped. As Duggan slowly dribbled the ball out a ways, Becker watched in amazement as the entire ARC team seamlessly appeared to shift positions, with Scott and O'Rourke fading to midfield as Chas sprinted downfield to join Ghani. Having given his teammates enough time to get into position, Duggan passed the ball to Jess, who flicked a pass to Scott. Unfortunately, one of the RSID players ran up to intercept it, and Scott and the athletic girl both tumbled to the ground, limbs entwined, as the ball rolled out of bounds. Scott seemed to take his time disentangling himself from the pretty girl, which gave Becker a chance to signal to the ref that he and the others were subbing back in.

As Becker ran in to rejoin the match, Chas jogged past him, giving Becker a high five.

"What's the score?" the soldier asked.

"They're up 8 to 5," Chas called back as he hurried to get off the pitch before play resumed.

8 to 5? Becker's heart sank. With the limited time left in the match, there was no way they'd be able to catch up.

But then he did the math. True, they were losing. But despite missing approximately a quarter of their players, the much-diminished team had not only managed to hold the RSID to three goals second half but had even scored one more of their own. It was truly a miracle, and from what he'd witnessed in the last play, it was all due to the remaining players working together as a team, just as he and the others had been doing out on the motorway. Becker couldn't have been prouder at how well they'd all come together under difficult circumstances, and without thinking, he flashed a pleased smile towards Jess.

And by some other miracle, she actually smiled back.

...

Jess had never been so relieved to see the rest of the team. They'd arrived just in the nick of time, for she and the others were practically on the verge of collapse from each having had to cover extra ground all half to compensate for the missing players.

She was extremely proud, however, of how well the abbreviated team had done during the others' absence. Despite being severely undermanned, they'd played exceedingly well, relying on each other just like a real team, just as they did every day at work. Even Chas, who wasn't an official member of the ARC team, played wonderfully with the others - in fact, Jess had quite enjoyed watching Neela and Chas together, as the couple clearly made an amazing partnership both on and off the field. But all the extra work had been starting to wear on Jess and her teammates, which made the return of the others a great relief, so much so that when Becker had smiled at Jess, she'd automatically smiled back.

Once she realised what she'd done, though, she instantly regretted it. After all, she didn't want Becker to think that everything was suddenly okay between them. He'd behaved terribly and had yet to apologise...though the interrupting sheep obviously had something to do with that! But regardless, an apology was still owed, and she hoped he didn't take her smile as a sign that all was forgiven.

Not that he should be thinking about that at present - his mind should be on the match. The second half was almost over, and Jess's competitive spirit was kicking back in. With the team being so depleted since half-time, her focus had been on mere survival; but now that they were complete again, the desire to win had returned. And having four fresh players back on the field was injecting new life into the team.

The RSID team must've sensed this change for they suddenly became more aggressive. It seemed as if the whistle was being blown every 20 seconds, and almost every ARC player ended up taking at least one direct free kick, despite every call being disputed by the RSID team. As Jess now approached the RSID player who currently had the ball, she was rudely shoved to the ground. There was no yellow card, but the whistle blew, the ball was placed on the ground in front of her, and she quickly kicked it forward to Becker. She then watched as the soldier dribbled downfield, bobbing and weaving amongst the RSID backs. One of them tried to steal the ball but connected with Becker's shin first, and he, too, went tumbling to the ground as the ref's whistle blew yet again. As he set up for his kick, Becker signalled not-so-subtly to Neela, sending their opponents scrambling over in her direction. This meant that when Becker kicked the ball to Abby instead, she was practically all alone on her side of the field, despite the RSID keeper yelling at his teammates to get back and cover her, thus allowing Abby to take an easy, unblocked kick. GOAL!

"Go, Abby! That's my girl!"

Connor's proud cheer could be heard all the way down the pitch, though Jess recognised that Becker and his sneaky strategy had had as much to do with the goal as their blonde coworker's kicking. Once again forgetting herself, Jess flashed the soldier a smile as he hurried back for the kick-off.

The RSID player doing the kick-off must've momentarily forgotten himself as well, for after tapping the ball, he ran forward and kicked it again himself. The sound of the whistle blowing at the two-touch violation was almost drowned out by the angry shouts of his teammates. Clearly the stress of the ticking clock was starting to wear on the RSID players, who hadn't been playing much like a team for the entire match and were now actively turning on one another.

Ironically, the more fractured and hostile their opponents became, the more the ARC team pulled together. After all, what were aggressive footy players when compared with T-Rexes and future predators? The team's ability to work together, to watch each other's backs, often meant the difference between life and death, and it had practically become second nature to them all.

Which meant that within a matter of seconds, the ball was once again downfield, with the ARC team passing back and forth, poised to score.

And that's when the final whistle blew.

...

to be continued (only 2 chapters left!)


	41. Ch 41 RIGHTEOUS REDEMPTION

Bend It Like Becker

...

Author's Notes: Hobbits give mathoms to others on their birthdays, so here's mine to you - the final two chapters of this story. For those of you who have been reading it chapter by chapter the past few months, I hope you find the ending a satisfying conclusion to all the mix-ups, etc., I've put Jess & Becker through. And thanks for all the birthday wishes! :)

...

Chapter 41 - RIGHTEOUS REDEMPTION

...

As the RSID team cheered their victory, Becker felt his heart sink. After everything that had happened, after all they'd been through, losing now made all their efforts seem for naught. He sighed and started to head off the pitch, utterly dejected, when a sudden movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he turned to see Abby sprinting towards the goal. Momentarily confused, he looked to where she was headed ... and saw Connor lying unconscious on the ground just inside the penalty box! Becker instantly took off running himself, reaching his injured teammate's side just as Ghani did. Abby was already knelt by her fiance, tenderly stroking his cheek.

"Connor?" she gently coaxed. "Connor, c'mon, wake up."

His eyes slowly fluttered open, and Becker watched as Abby's shoulders instantly relaxed, clearly relieved.

"Temple, you okay?" Becker asked.

Connor smiled weakly as Abby helped him sit up. "Yeah, I was having the strangest dream. And you were there... and you... and you."

Becker rolled his eyes, but then his gaze followed Connor's to the last person he'd addressed.

"Are you up for taking the penalty kick yourself?" the referee asked. "Or would you rather someone else take it?"

"But the match is over," Abby said, echoing Becker's own thoughts.

Ghani shook her head. "Since he was fouled before the final whistle, we still get a kick."

Becker couldn't believe it. It was as if they were being given one last shot at redemption. It didn't matter that Connor's goal couldn't win them the game - nor even tie it - the opportunity still felt like a gift, as if someone somewhere were looking out for them.

Abby helped her fiance to his feet as the rest of the players gathered around to watch the final kick of the game. It suddenly felt as if everything were happening in slow motion as Connor carefully placed the ball on the penalty spot. The ref made extra certain everyone was outside the box as the air was filled with deafening cheers and shouts from the other players. Most blokes would've choked under the intense pressure of all eyes upon them, but Connor was used to working under such pressure. He took a deep breath and briefly mumbled something to himself before running up and kicking the ball.

If his words had been meant for luck, they apparently worked, for the ball spun low, arcing banana-like around the goalkeeper and into the bottom of the net.

The ARC team erupted into cheers and rushed to crowd around Connor, overcome with excitement.

"You know you didn't win, right?" one of the RSID players commented snidely as he passed, but Becker and the others ignored him. They may not have scored more points, but as far as they were concerned, they'd definitely "won".

This was confirmed a moment later when Becker spotted Lester off talking to a man in a pin-striped suit, the same man who'd been gawping as he rode by on the motorway. The soldier still couldn't place where he knew the man from, so he asked aloud, "Who's the suit?"

Everyone turned to look, and Matt, Jess, and Abby all answered in unison, "The Minister."

"How do YOU know that?" Connor asked his fiance, surprised.

"Because his framed photo is hanging in the ARC," Abby explained patiently.

"It is?" Connor sounded doubtful.

Abby nodded. "You walk by it every day."

The image of the Minister's portrait totally flashed in Becker's mind - no wonder the man had looked familiar - but the image was almost instantly replaced by the sudden memory of the Minister's wager. Becker held his breath as he watched the two gentlemen talk, hoping his guv'nor wasn't getting too badly scolded. However, the suited man didn't appear too angry; in fact, he was now smiling heartily and patting Lester on the back. Becker was relieved that Lester's job - and his own - were no longer in imminent jeopardy, despite the team's loss. However, he was still a bit nervous, waiting for the other shoe to drop, for how could the Minister be so jolly when he'd just lost a substantial sum of money?

They would soon find out, for Lester was shaking his guv'nor's hand and heading back towards the team.

"Well?" Matt prompted.

"What'd he say?" Abby asked.

"How much money he lose?" At his fiance's scolding frown, Connor quickly defended, "What? We was all thinking it."

Lester ignored Connor's question and simply answered, "The Minister was extremely impressed by our show of teamwork... both on AND off the field."

Becker knew what that meant - the Minister had seen them out on the motorway, voluntarily assisting with the accident, whilst the rest of the team had continued to forge ahead on the pitch. Becker was pleased to see that the Minister, too, seemed to have his priorities straight, something Becker never would've guessed prior to today.

"But we lost, yeah?" Connor pointed out. "Don't he care about that?"

Lester shrugged. "According to him, the whole point of the exercise was to work on our teamwork skills, a fact the RSID players seemed to have forgotten." Lester subtly nodded his head to where the Minister was currently giving the other team a proper wigging. "Besides," their guv'nor continued, "he said he's certain we'll beat them next year."

"Next year?" Becker repeated warily, not liking the sound of that.

"We have to do this AGAIN?" Connor whined, once again speaking for them all.

Lester nodded, clearly not thrilled with the idea himself. "The Minister wants to make it an annual event."

Connor shook his head. "Just kill me now."

...

As everyone began to pack up their kit, Jess stood off a ways from the others. She wanted to be happy, to join in the celebration, but things were still strained between her and Becker, making her feel uncomfortable around the team. If she'd had her own car, she would've long since made her excuses and left, but she needed to get a ride back to the ARC and thus was stuck waiting by herself till Lester was ready to go.

She wasn't alone for long, though, for Chas and Neela soon approached.

"Thank you so much," Jess gushed. "To both of you. For EVERYTHING. I don't know how we could've done it all without you."

"I don't feel like I did much," Neela said with a shrug.

"Are you kidding? You were brilliant on the field - best player on the team, without a doubt. And you even managed to supply us with an amazing ref... and substitute," she said, flashing Chas a grateful smile.

"I'm just so happy to be back in touch with you after all these years, Lil' Nosy. We've got to start hanging out more. Who knows - maybe even double-date sometime?" he added with a wink.

Jess smiled weakly. She knew she'd have to tell Chas about Becker eventually, but not now, not while they were still celebrating.

"And you're coming to the pub, right?" Neela asked.

"Pub?" Jess asked blankly.

"Yeah, we're all going out," Neela explained. "Lester said first round was on him."

Uggh! Hanging out with the team was the last thing Jess wanted to do right now. "Well, it's late, and I'm... uh... pretty tired. I think I'll pass," she said, hoping she could get a ride from someone.

But Chas wasn't buying it. "No way, Lil' Nosy," he said. "It's not even tea time. Besides, you have to come - you helped make all this happen."

"Yes, you must stop by," Neela insisted. "At the very least you need to raise a glass to our engagement."

Chas looked stricken as he turned to his girlfriend. "Engagement?"

Realising what she'd done, Neela bit her lower lip, glancing guiltily at Jess as she uttered a regretful, "Oops."

"Jess!" Chas said, turning to her, clearly angry. "What the hell? I didn't tell you just so you could...! You knew I wanted it to be a surprise! How could you do-?"

"Don't yell at Jess."

Becker's voice was the last thing Jess had expected to hear. She turned, shocked, as the soldier walked up behind her.

"It's not her fault; it's mine," he continued. "If you're angry with anyone, it should be me."

Jess simply stared at Becker, her mouth hanging open. She never would've believed what had just happened, but she must've heard him properly for she saw Becker flash Neela a stern look of warning, as if ordering the girl to keep mum, and the female soldier gave a nearly imperceptible nod in return.

Chas, however, must not have noticed this subtle interchange for he was still fuming. "What possessed you to tell her, Becker? You may be her Captain and her coach, but you had no right! This is a private... Just because you don't have the guts to... I never would've told Jess if I'd thought you would... What kind of prat are you?"

But Becker didn't defend himself. He simply stood there and took it, a look of contrition upon his face as he nodded, mumbling, "You're right. I'm sorry."

"Chas, what's it matter?" Neela jumped in, taking her boyfriend's cheeks in her hands and turning him to look at her. "I love you, and I'm SO happy, so who cares how I found out?" And with that she kissed him.

But the kiss didn't last long for Chas pulled back quickly to ask, "So...is that a yes?"

Neela laughed. "What do you think?" she teased, and he instantly moved in to kiss her again, much longer and more passionately this time.

Jess shifted her feet uncomfortably, not knowing where to look, feeling as if she were very much intruding on this extremely personal moment.

When the couple finally separated, Neela asked, "So, do I get a ring?"

Chas laughed. "Naturally. It's in the glovebox. C'mon."

As he took her hand and started to lead her away, Neela called back over her shoulder, "So we'll see you two at the pub later, yeah?"

Becker nodded and gave an affirmative wave, but Jess wasn't interested in answering - she was too filled with questions of her own.

"Why'd you do that?" she asked Becker as soon as the happy couple was out of earshot. "Why'd you lie to him?"

"I didn't," Becker stated matter-of-factly. "I told him it was my fault, and it was. I mean, you never would've told Lester if I hadn't-God, Jess, I am SO sorry. I was a total prat, and I can't believe I said those horrid things to you. I was just so... I mean, there I was, all ready to take you out on our date, and there you were, snogging in Chas's-"

"Date," Jess interrupted, suddenly recalling him having used the same term during their confrontation right before the game. "Did you...did you just say 'date'?"

Becker nodded, looking sheepish. "That's...that's why I asked you to dinner. I figured it was about time we... Abby'd convinced me that I should... I mean, after everything that'd we'd... So when I asked you out yesterday, I meant it to not just be dinner but to be _a date_." The last two words were spoken in unison as Jess momentarily joined in, and Becker gave a relieved smile before continuing. "So then, you see, when I caught you sneaking off with Chas and...well, I just naturally assumed you two were...and I felt like such a fool. But that doesn't justify what I... I mean, leaving you crying like that... and then this morning, no one knew where you were, and I couldn't get the image of you standing there sobbing out of... Jess, I am SO sorry. Can you ever forgive me?"

Jess could see the contrition in his eyes. And it all made more sense now. He'd lashed out in anger, not only at her but at himself because he'd felt such a fool - was it any wonder his words had been so harsh? But everything he'd done since had proved just how much he cared. And now here he was, heart in hand, begging for her forgiveness.

No, not just begging. These were not just empty words. Becker, who tended to avoid awkward social situations like the plague, had voluntarily come to her defence, throwing himself on that social grenade by taking the blame for divulging Chas's secret. That kind of self-sacrifice couldn't be feigned.

And besides, why was he suddenly throwing this word "date" around? Since when had he asked her out? And why on earth hadn't she been informed?

"Jess?"

Becker was staring at her, a look of sheer dread upon his face, and Jess realised she'd never answered his question.

"Yes, of course I forgive you," she said, delighting in the radiant smile that instantly broke out on Becker's face.

"Thanks, Jess," he said, exhaling with relief. "I promise I'll do whatever it takes to make it up to you, so if there's ever anything..."

"Well," Jess smiled, "I do believe you still owe me a chocolate souffle."

...

to be continued


	42. Ch 42 COMESTIBLE CONCLUSIONS

Bend It Like Becker

...

Chapter 42 - COMESTIBLE CONCLUSIONS

...

Although Becker was one of the first to arrive at the pub, things were already getting lively.

"I thought Lester was buying the first round," he teased his soldiers as he noted several half-empty pint glasses strewn about the table.

"We couldn't wait, Coach," O'Rourke said, sliding a full one over to Becker.

"Don't mind if I do," he said, draining half the pint. He was definitely in the mood to celebrate. Not only was the match over and done with - and they'd done brilliantly, considering the obstacles they'd had to overcome - but Jess had miraculously forgiven him! He couldn't have asked for more!

Most of the others arrived shortly thereafter, including Lester, who was good on his word and bought not only the first round but the second as well. Becker noticed Jess wasn't drinking, no doubt not wanting to overdue as she'd done last week, and he quickly followed her lead, realising he'd probably had quite enough alcohol the other night to last him for some time.

Though he might've resumed drinking had Jess not steered off Abby's hostile confrontation.

"So, Becker," Abby had started into him the moment she arrived. "What's all this about you leaving Jess at the park sobbing? What the hell? Don't you think you might've-?"

"So, Connor," Jess had quickly jumped in, "I thought I heard you mumble something right before you kicked your final goal - what'd you say?"

The whole team looked to Connor as he answered matter-of-factly, "This one's for Newton."

As the others laughed, and Becker rolled his eyes, Emily turned to Matt to ask, "Who's Newton?"

But before Matt could answer, Scott entered, accompanied by the pretty, athletic girl from the RSID team.

"Hey, you guys mind if Katie here joins us?" he asked.

The team all shared amused looks, leaving Jess to respond, "No, of course we don't mind. You're welcome to join us, Katie, is it?" As the two late-comers took their seats, Jess added, "And congratulations on your team's win, by the way."

"Thanks," Katie responded graciously. "Though from the way you lot are carrying on, anyone would think your team won."

"We might as well have," Lester responded dryly, and everyone couldn't help but agree. They'd not only pleased the Minister and made a decent showing at the match, but they'd all been there for each other just like a true team should be. All the tension that had erupted before the match now seemed to have dissipated, and the former players soon dissolved into a lively conversation about the various skillful plays everyone had made, generally revelling in their amazing accomplishments.

It wasn't until some time later that Chas and Ghani finally arrived.

"Where have you two been?" Jess asked.

From their expressions, Becker instantly knew the answer. "I take it she liked the ring?" the soldier teased dryly, earning a stern elbowing from Jess.

"Absolutely. Check it out," Ghani said proudly, extending her left hand out over the table to show off her new engagement ring. Becker knew nothing about rings and merely gave an acknowledging nod, but the girls all leant in to "ooh" and "ahh" over it.

"Her parents seemed cool with it, too," Chas whispered confidentially to Jess and Becker, clearly relieved.

"See, I told you," Jess said. Chas, in return, gave her some kind of meaningful look, one which Becker didn't understand but Jess obviously did for her cheeks began to flush.

Hoping to relieve Jess's discomfort - not to mention break up the ring-admiring hen session, Becker raised a pint. "Then let's drink a toast," he announced. "To Chas and Ghani's engagement."

"Here, here," the others all cheered, raising their glasses.

"I think Coach Becker deserves a toast as well," Abby said.

Becker shook his head. "I never could've done it without Jess's assistance."

Jess's face started to flush again, and she quickly added, "And we owe a lot to Neela and Chas... and actually to each and every one of you. It was truly a team effort."

"What is this?" Lester grumbled. "A bloody Mutual Admiration Society?"

Becker was amused to see Jess elbow her guv'nor and scold, "Don't be such a spoil sport."

"How can I not be? You made me leave my bottle of good whiskey in the car." Jess gave him an impatient look, and Lester rolled his eyes, conceding, "Very well. Here's to the team."

"To the team!" they all cheered.

...

It was rather late in the evening when they finally left the pub, no doubt having overstayed their welcome. Chas and Neela had left early, since they had dinner reservations to get to, and Jess had been relieved to see Becker give the blond man a hearty handshake before the couple left, the tension between the two men finally resolved. She was further relieved, a short time later, when Lester had begged off to get home to his wife and Becker had quickly stepped in, offering to drive Jess back to her car. Jess was pleased to be able to stay longer and spend more time with the team and even more pleased that she'd have some time alone with Becker after. It was such a relief to have things back to normal with him.

Only they weren't quite normal for, after leaving the pub and driving towards the city centre, Becker randomly pulled his car to a stop at the kerb without explanation. Glancing around, confused, Jess asked, "Why aren't we at the ARC?"

Becker raised his eyebrows at her. "Because I still owe you."

This confused Jess further. He didn't owe her anything - he'd already apologised and made amends for his harsh words. But as they walked up the street together and turned the corner, she finally recognised where they were headed.

"My chocolate souffle!" she exclaimed, excitedly grabbing ahold of his arm.

"I know it's a day late...," he began, but she cut him off.

"It's never too late for chocolate," she grinned, and her smile grew even broader as Becker reached down and took her hand.

As they entered the restaurant, however, they did appear to be too late. Being a Saturday night, the place was packed, and the _maitre d'_ seemed to be turning people away in droves. Yet surprisingly the man in the tailcoat smiled as they approached.

"_Ah! Je vois que vous avez trouve la belle jeune fille, monsieur! C'est bon!_ She is _encore plus belle _than her photo. _H__é__las_, we have no tables available _maintenant_... " he lowered his voice to add, "_mais, peut-etre _I can find something that will work, _n'est pas_?"

"_Merci_," Becker said with a nod, leading Jess over to one side to be out of the way.

Jess stared incredulously at the soldier. "What was that about?"

Becker shrugged, evading the question by stating simply, "By the way, you can tell the girls at Irregular Choice and Rococo that I ended up finding you."

Jess had no idea what his cryptic message meant, but before she could ask how he even knew about her favourite shoe store and sweet shop, the _maitre d'_ signalled them over. They were led to a tiny table crowded into a darkened corner, with only a candle for light. It was beyond romantic, but Jess didn't want to get her hopes up, remembering Emily's sound advice. Jess and Becker were now friends again, and that was more than she could've hoped for when she'd awoken this morning. Therefore she wasn't going to worry about what might or might not come next - she was only going to concentrate on the here and now.

Which was quite easy to do when she was eating such a tasty souffle!

Once she'd devoured every last crumb on her plate, Becker asked quietly, "So...Jess...what do you think?"

Jess smiled. "I think I could eat dessert here every night forever!'"

But Becker didn't smile at her hyperbole - his expression remained serious. "No, Jess. I mean...what do you think?" As he uttered this last, he reached across the table and tenderly took her hand.

Oh! What did she THINK?

Jess smiled. "I think I'm thrilled that everything's sorted and we're friends again."

At the mention of the dreaded "f" word, Becker gulped uncomfortably and started to loosen his grip on her hand. Jess, however, squeezed his even tighter as she added, "And ... I think this has been a perfectly lovely first date."

A relieved smile broke out upon Becker's face, and she was pleased to see him still beaming twenty minutes later when they finally left the restaurant.

"So," he began tentatively as they headed back up the pavement, "shall I...take you back to your car?"

Jess grinned. "I have a better idea." By the light of the streetlamp, she saw him raise an inquiring eyebrow. Happily grasping ahold of his arm, she eagerly suggested, "How about we go back to your flat and watch _Bend It Like Beckham_?"

Becker groaned and rolled his eyes.

"C'mon, PLEASE!" she pleaded with puppy dog eyes. "Besides...I think we might actually be able to stay awake through it this time."

As Jess meaningfully grinned up at him, she noticed the Look on his face slowly transform into a smile.

...

The two of them returned to Becker's flat, cuddled up together on the couch - THAT couch - and turned on the DVD.

And while Jess had definitely been correct about not falling asleep, when asked later, neither of them could recall many details about the film. However, they both claimed to have thoroughly enjoyed it!

...

THE END

...

_Acknowledgements: Special thanks to the following who helped me immensely with this story:_

_- Emma, Danica, and especially Glenn for their extensive football knowledge_

_- Kelly for her phone info_

_- Christy for demonstrating how to fall_

_- my dad for his corny sense of humour_

_- Ellie for my Lester inspirations_

_- Ian for his help with slang_

_- rubycaspar for her "Just Pretend" story, which made me go "*I* want to write a romantic comedy!"_

_- my mom for our long discussions about Primeval & romantic comedies_

_- Carolyn for giving me the prehistoric creatures book which remains my bible for anomaly creatures_

_- Google for helping me research such diverse topics as whiskey, sprained ankles, and George Michael's cruising spots (plus for helping me find a location for the final match (Sam Philps Recreation Ground) - I didn't name it specifically in the story but it has the proper layout AND football pitches that can be reserved by the public because I'm all about the verisimilitude!)_

_- the readers who sent me reviews for almost every chapter and encouraged me to keep going_

_- and most especially Cathleen and Emilyjay for all their brainstorming, suggestions, amazing plot ideas, and basically putting up with me whilst I neurotically read aloud to them on a nearly daily basis for five months!_


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